Of Cinderella Slippers & Deck of Hearts for a Con
by MegaJinxed13
Summary: "It started in a bar..." Or maybe it was before that. Jenny Humphrey and Carter Baizen both used, abused, tossed, and worn. It's almost ironic that they never met until now, yet maybe that's just what was needed. Everything and everyone would be against them, but is that such a bad thing? After all, everyone wants to rule the world... [Jarter]/slight xover w/ the OC & The Carlyles
1. Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar

_**AN:/**_ **So rarely do I see this crack pairing save for a few instances that have inspired this story but I wanted to play around with this idea. I felt that both Jenny and Carter two of my most favorite loving characters on the show got the short end of the stick. Not only did they have so much potential but they were also more fascintating and 3 dimensional than other characters that were brought in later in the series. Needless to say I wouldn't be here today if I owned the show Gossip Girl which I do not! Also to get a better understanding of what I feel Jenny now looks like Taylor Momsen did a photoshoot a while back and can be found at as such as where I found the icon of her for this story. In the photoshoot she isn't wearing a whole lot of makeup and going for a more natural look but still has a mature way about her. I think this is what she looks like at her most beautiful but you don't have too picture her that way. Anyways... Not sure if this is going to be a one-shot, two-shot, or full blown drabble story so review and let me know.**

* * *

They never met formally, not even as acquaintances, just two people who knew the same group and passed by one another once or twice but perhaps if they had sooner it would have saved them a lot of trouble and heartache (him the trouble, her the heartache). In a way they were the ultimate goal. The power and passion of Chuck and Blair, an epic read romance very similar to Dan and Serena, Saint and Angel like Nate and Blair (though the roles were constantly switching), It couple items like Serena and Nate, the allies who are their own downfall congruent to Vanessa and Dan, destructive train wreck as Chuck and Serena, bringing out the best and worst as imitation to Dan and Blair, with the potential of what Lilly and Rufus could have been had there not been so much _history..._ Though they too have history of their own. They don't even give a second glance at the people they once pined for before and if one of them does it's just to get under that person's skin and their partner in crime is always not to far away.

For him it was Serena. She was the unattainable and once he had her he couldn't keep her for more than a couple of months. He'd known what everyone had said. They all worshiped the ground she walked on but whispered behind Serena's back ' _ **trainwreck'**_. Not to say that his girl wasn't her own masochist, back in her day (though he was never their to witness it he always got the posts, hey he was _intrigued_ by the girl who seemed more destroyed than himself, and he'll always tease and hold _that_ against her) but she was a different kind of _**'off the rails'**_. This kind maybe he could hold onto.

The person she pined over was never a good match for her anyway. At least that's what they've told each other but they both know her love affair with Nate Archibald runs deeper than his with Serena ever could (it doesn't matter now anymore, for once they get what _they_ _want_!). She doesn't try and compare them because in all honesty the differences are welcomed and she doesn't want to think about what they could possibly share (too much of a broken fantasy). When those thoughts do sneak into her mind, she does observe that both him and Nate have the same approach but different ways of handling it. It doesn't happen often and quite seriously the only reason she thought of Nate was in a passing off-put comment, by the guy she sees herself falling in love with now! Funny how that works out.

He couldn't get what he thought he deserved.

She couldn't find happiness.

No one really wanted the two most screwed up people that Gossip Girl had entangled with other's lives. It was a bittersweet ending every time GG wrote of their leaving but now that everything was done and over with maybe it was something that was meant to happen all along?

They really just didn't count on all the loose ends. To them it was a test. Whether to or on one another they couldn't tell, they just knew it was time to finish it.

It started in a bar in London...

 **XXX**

It started in a bar in London. He's having a drink on this elusive Friday wondering what – _or who_ he could do to wind down when he sees her. She's stunning and he _knows_ he'd never forget a face like that because she's so familiar in the way she moves, throws her head back in laughter, and smiles but also a mystery, so he _really_ needs to place her face in somewhere. He's seen her before he just wish he knew when and where and why didn't he capture her?

It started in London. She's been staying after most of her days trying to get things prepared for fashion week coming up this month but when her co-workers tell her that they all haven't been out _in forever_ she quickly tells them that she's in and they're glad because she's the It Girl of this scene but she doesn't even know it. The instant they get close to the bar that's in the club she recognizes him. It's not hard to tell that she was once a subject of an exclusive society but she _knows_ he won't expose her to the new life she now leads. If he recognizes her, she'll recognize him and he has just as much skeletons in the closest as she likes to keep locked away. Her friend sees her eying him. It's all down hill from there. Marcy, she thinks her name is, loves to pick up left overs but she's been there, she's done that. She only wants to protect Marcy, no matter how much everyone else may just barely tolerate the poor girl (it's a good thing she knows how to have fun or otherwise the others would probably not have invited her along when walking out of the building). So she tells Marcy that he's as crazy as a Mad Hatter, drunk with power like a witch, and is unstable as a war veteran with PTSD when the girl comments how sexy he looks. When Marcy smirks and asks if she personally knows him, her immediate answer is no but that she's grown up with his type, those with the cunning clever grin of a fox that pull you in and swallow you whole and will probably leave you to the vultures when he tires of you, so by the default she _knows_ him. Basically she's already told Marcy it's a bad idea but the prideful (or spiteful depending on who you ask) thing that Marcy is, saunters up to him hopping to get some tonight. She'll give the girl five minutes.

It starts in London. He talks his way through the little brash thing that's not his type (if he's going to get a sharp tongued girl, she better have some wit and wisdom about her, other wise the chase is just boring). Pointing over to the brunette's friend and his newfound obsession, he notices how the girl is pretending not to watch them but rolls her eyes in annoyance at her horny friend's antics. Soon all of them take notice of the not so strange stranger and slowly start to drift over to where he's sitting. He's listening on about how the girl, Marcy is what one of her other friends called her, thinks she's hilarious but he plays along, albeit c ringingly so. She's watching them with her arms crossed and an amused look upon her face as she sees Marcy making a fool of herself, laughing a little to loudly and forcefully, and making her intentions quite obvious. It's sad and sweet at the same time because she remembers a time when she was in that position and now she can see why no one stopped her when it happened: it meant she was slowly finding her way, testing out how this game worked, and how she fit into all of it. In a way, it was more adorable than it was comical. She even found it sort of sweet, in a redeeming quality way, how he didn't call her out on it like most guys she knew, from their shared point of reference, would have. _Sort of_. That was the key word and had she thought as she used to, basing her first impression off a certain golden haired guy and his best friend she might have seen it as a game play. Now that she's not part of that life anymore and is trying to think in a new light. She's still on the defense though. He _is_ from her neck of the woods.

"I've seen you before." He addresses her pointedly but oh so charmingly as he'd been taught to do from years of practice and prep schooling.

Marcy tries to insert herself into his line of sight yet again but he's only seeing _her_ now, the girl with the unreadable expression, that would have any politician wanting her for their own master plan. "She's head of **_J by Waldorf_** , you've probably seen the commercials. We _all_ work there."

He smiles but he's not looking at Marcy. He's throwing all of his entice into this one facial gesture hoping to break through to the girl's ever passive face. "No," He shakes his head trying to remember. "We've met before." He drawls.

She raises an eyebrow with a small up twitch of her lips. "Someone punched you at a Cotillion and I cleaned up the mess. Guess who and I'll give you a name." She propositioned.

His brows furrowed in a bit of a frown. Clearly their first encounter goes all the way back to the end of the beginning. How had he missed her? "Nate Archibald."

"And you're Carter Baizen," She told him. He's a little surprised by her obvious certainty, it shows she knew who he was from the moment she walked in. The blond girl went on. "And I'm Jenny Humphrey."

Instant dawning washed over Carter's face. For a moment, he was transported back to that night at the Cotillion, the punch still fresh in his mind but the after – the after was _perplexing_. It involves a sweet innocent girl trying to help someone pronounce a name on a card, fixing a ripped dress, and stepping in to hold an iced drink to his face while Serena went to have a showdown with CeCe and chase after this girl's brother. That however was a memory for another time. When Carter saw her with a look of curiosity, Jenny surprised herself with a tiny smile.

It began in London...

 **XXX**

It's a game of cat and mouse from then on. Who's who might be a little confusing. Carter will be at the club always at the same spot, sometimes with his buddies, sometimes by himself. Jenny reciprocates with all of her coworkers. It goes on like this for some time. Them, watching the other and then by the end they have a fleeting moment of tension and desire to understand one another, by having chat. Jenny's never alone, when she comes to there place. It's not like she's hiding because if that were the case she could disappear altogether. No, Jenny is waiting. So is Carter. The first move always starts the game.

Carter watches her dance out of the corner of his eye and finds himself fascinated that she can move so languidly and effortlessly. Hips swaying side to side, eyes in a dream like state, it's no wonder why every person in this place only comes for her, only sees her. Carter imagines all the things that such a tight little body can do before the image in his mind is blocked by the girl from the daydream.

"You're not exactly subtle." She simpers, taking the seat next to him.

"Didn't know I was trying to be." He banters back, giving her body a through inspection with his eyes, not at all trying to hide it.

Jenny throws her head back in a fake cackle. "Wow." Shaking her head at his incorrigible advances, Jenny grinned. Never before has the boy chased her, it was always the other way around but then again, from what Jenny makes of him, Carter Baizen hasn't been a boy for a _long_ time. "That really doesn't work, does it?"

His smirk widens with his charm. "Better believe it, Beautiful." It rolls off his tongue because it's part of his pattern but it feels wrong the moment he utters it. Beautiful, she is but regular game, she's not.

Jenny doesn't giggle at that little pet name, like she's sure that he's used to or tells him to ' ** _Stop!_** ', with all intentions of him to keep going. Instead, she moves her gaze to her arms on the bar counter and smiles somberly at how far she had get and the places she had to go in order to even be called a Beautiful.

One thing Carter has learned from his father, is that paying attention to women is the key to winning them over. Well, paying attention to the things that make them emotional, everything else is allowed to be ignored. Watching Little Miss Humphrey's reaction made a knot in his stomach. He had to murder whatever was the reason for this. "A martini for the lady." Carter calls out and can see the blond haired beauty glaring at him, from where she sat, but doesn't make a move to stop his antics. She thanks the bartender and turns her chair over, so that it's now facing him.

"You're a jerk." She smiles over the rim sneakily, just sipping her glass.

Carter is surprised, yet again, by her boldness in calling him out but rises to the occasion. "A bit brutal for someone who just bought you a drink, don't you think?"

Jenny shrugs setting down the gift in question smile ever present. "It's a fact. I'm just telling you how it is."

Now that's got Carter curious. "And how is it, Sweetheart?" That flows more easily than Beautiful and he's perplexed by it but maybe she was never meant to be a meaningless beauty.

"Your parents cut you off when you wanted to see the world but once you saw it you realized luxury was still something you couldn't live without. Blowing back into town, you ripped off Nate and Chuck. Deciding to go along with the politics of it all, you swindled your way into being Serena's date for the Cotillion. And we all know how well _that_ went." She told him pointedly but Carter couldn't seem to find it in him to be mad, if anything he was more intrigued for her to keep going. "When you came back again, you had some debts to pay and were willing to own up to them but you broke Serena's heart in the process. The last time you decided to come and mess things up, it was to worm your way into her relationship by using her father as bait. You've done a lot of bad things Carter Baizen... but I've done worse." Gathering herself up and getting down from the high stool, Jenny came just close enough to look Carter dead in the eyes. One might have backed away but Carter liked to think that she didn't anticipate him welcoming her invading his personal space, and as a result she was uncomfortable. At least he could tell, by the way she bit the inside of her cheek. "But I bet, you can't remember a single thing about me other than Cotillion." Jenny waited for him to think of something on the spot.

"You're right." Carter nodded, not exactly happy for admitting defeat from a child but still throwing arrogance to his voice in order to give her the feeling of inferiority. "I can't." It doesn't work because Jenny hasn't the need to feel inferior and undermined since she left the US. The mystery of it made the air about Jenny Humphrey all the more appealing.

Jenny sighed deeply. "Goodbye, Carter." And left.

 **XXX**

Jenny's torn between running for the hills because he's bad news, but Jenny Humphrey, former Queen of Constance and hand chosen by Blair Waldorf to be a legacy, doesn't _run_ – at least not anymore, and giving into the magnetic pull of him because he _saw_ her and she's more than a little curious.

They bump into one another at a charity event, at which they're both important but would rather be somewhere else. It's by pure coincidence that they end up standing next to themselves as the charity head makes his speech, thanking all who decided to give the function their grants. Carter's the one to notice her first, this time. "You don't think I remember." Carter stated lightly, so not to be heard by unwanted people. He didn't miss how she rolled her eyes at his introduction into this conversation or how she held a small tempting smile. "But I do. You were the little blond who ratted Serena and I out to Nate that one time."

He's baiting her reaction, but Jenny's not so inexperienced to not know how to handle herself. What she doesn't know is that Carter, for once, is _not_ fishing for info, he's just reminding her that he was a little impressed at that little move she pulled off. "I was different." She nodded curtly, confirming his suspicions that she wasn't broken but not completely put back together from years of living the life that of high society, a life he's grown up to be used to by now.

The first time he saw her, she was a sweet little thing. Following his ex and his fling around like a puppy, as if she couldn't fathom how much of her own power she had. With her wide blue eyes, full of life, her smooth skinned baby face, round soft pink pouty lips, and her long blond hair all pact in her petite little body, that, just by taking her in, you could tell she wasn't confident in yet, she was the face of the girl-next-door image. The next time he passed her, it seemed that she had traded her innocent girl character for some make-up and a tiara. Much skinnier that time around, with a hardened face, and unhealthy pale skin, she handed her golden locks and bargain flats for a pair of stilettos and platinum blond hair. Oh and Blair's crown but hey everyone has a successor. Now, she looked better. Different. Long gone was the heavy make-up and pale skin, going for a more natural look and bringing back her bronze toned coloring. She had curves again, with an hourglass figure instead of stick thin proportions (but that tiny waist she had now was doing a number on him). Jenny looked _good_ , like after years of being away from two of the most sought after girls in the world, Jenny Humphrey could give Blair Waldorf and Serena Van der Woodsen a run for their money.

Rustling from his own thought, Jenny went on. "Believe me, I don't plan on returning to the person I used to be." She promised. Carter couldn't tell whether it was his or hers to keep. So he asks for her to dine with him at a fancy restaurant later this evening.

She says no.

Taking the hit, Carter stops being nonchalant and swings his whole body around, instead of just his gaze, like he'd been doing, to ask her why not, with his never give up snarky attitude.

Slowly turning to stare at him, Jenny takes in his body language. It screams of trying to convince her to go with him. "On second thought," She tells him as a grin creeps onto her face. "I'll take _you_ out for froyo." Carter Baizen has had crème brue le, the most mouth watering of chocolate icing to lick off girls' bodies, gilatto from his summer in Naples, Italy when he was nine, and has eaten delicacies with the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates in Dubai but Carter has never had froyo. And he knows that she knows that he's never had it. What the hell, she's challenging him and that's what makes this more interesting.

He says sure.

 **XXX**

Froyo goes smoothly. Languidly walking down the pathway of London as they recount tales of their adolescence (though she's still _so young_ , a good four years younger than himself, a child in retrospect to the eyes of the world not just for her age but _her_. The saying **_'robbing the cradle'_** comes to mind but he pushes it back because no kid has a body like _that_ and not use it for herself when she wants to) both not caring what the other might think of their past experiences. In retrospect they don't judge because each of them feel as like they've done something similar or far worse. It's easy. When that is all used up she tells him how she doesn't even know what she's doing in life right now and he responds that he doesn't either. Jenny grins at him with disbelief and shrugs off his retort with the shake of her head turning to the existential part of life.

"I used to want to be singer." Jenny admits with a flush (God, she hasn't done that since she was in high school, tripping over her words with Nate) creeping to the back of her neck.

Carter can top that. "I wanted to be a card dealer."

"I smuggled drugs."

"I _gave_ kids drugs." He counters in a **_'I-win-at-loosing'_** contest. "Ruining reputations to show people's true form? I've seen and done it all before."

Jenny rolls her eyes at that statement and they continue on in silence. Not awkward but comfortable. The blond girl is stalling and Carter knows it. Eventually one of them is going to have to mention at least one of the three elephants: their attraction, Serena, or Nate. Jenny goes for the first one. Playing the game that she watched two other girls play, Jenny slowly started to lick the spoon off her froyo clean with a sensuality she knew would drive him crazy. Carter hated her for it, he could see what she was doing from the corner of his eye and it was driving him nuts and he knew she was doing it on purpose. They hailed a cab to his place. It was the end of the beginning...

 **XXX**

Moans and pants that had once filled the room, were now silenced with whispers into skin. The smacking, intimate, and rubbing movement of dilating and undulating hips and in sync rhythm of the mattress, had stopped to be met with sweaty, salty, and sweet skin and disheveled hair. Rolling over onto her taut stomach, Jenny waited for him to order her to leave. He got what he wanted, right? Carter surprised her in rolling over as well, so that his body was half sprawled on top of her. As he licked, whispered into, and trailed his nuzzling nose from her mid back to her shoulder. Jenny sighed in content.

Carter chuckled, closing his eyes and simpering into her neck before kissing it. "Feel good Jen?" Jenny, basking in the slow of his breathing that she could feel as his upper body lounged on top of hers, just nodded. She was too few for words, besides she liked the low rumble of his voice. Taking up the opening, he began to speak again. "Gotta say you wore me out too. Never had that happen." It's then that Jenny starts to laugh. After all with his _enigmatic_ nature and the fact that she's limited herself to sleeping with all but three other people so far, Jenny finds the humor in his experience of _him_ being worn out by _her!_ He watches the blond girl laugh into the mattress before grabbing her by the sides and scooting them around so that now she was still laughing while he was on the mattress and her back part of her body laying on his chest. She continued joking at the thought (it really was ironic) and he had joined in before they calmed down and he just held her. Jenny took this time to observe that she wasn't able to see his face. It was at that time he thought was appropriate to clear the air.

"I had feelings for Serena." Carter told her so simply it was like he was admitting that his favorite color green. He noticed her stiffen just a bit but...

Silent for a beat, she tried to word the statement she was about to say correctly so that it was truthful. Jenny doesn't know when she began thinking that Carter Baizen was worth the truth but she thinks it was somewhere in between froyo and great sex. This is fast and Jenny has never been _allowed_ to go fast because people make up a bunch of restrictions that they force upon her to follow, so she rebels with going fast. Given the option sure has its benefits, plus she thinks this speed just fits for her – or them. "I was in love with Nate."

He doesn't answer with an **_'I know'_** even though every one who ever followed Gossip Girl knew. Carter thinks she needs more after all, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the difference between **_'feelings'_** he had for Serena and **_'love'_** she had (has, he can feel it in her caution) for Nate. So instead, Carter treats Jenny like a human being. Swinging her down on the bed again, he traps her between his arms with a face that says **_'he accepts this challenge'_**. "We're going to fix that."

 **XXX**

She enjoys learning his secret talents. For example, Carter Baizen _could_ have been a card dealer like he wanted to. He's quite crafty at those games (and it scares her to think of what others he's good at playing at but if such things were to happen she'd play it right back), showing tricks and shuffling quick. Not little magic illusions that her Dad used to show her to make her laugh and that she'd always giggle back ' ** _was so lame!'_** But the kind that he teaches her when she asks him to, as they sit in his kitchen on a rainy day. In watching this, Jenny learns that Carter's skilled in math.

"Once you turn it on, you can't turn it off." He smirks (she's come to enjoy those, they aren't like the condescending cocky ones of Chuck Bass, no, Carter Baizen's are full of arrogant confidence – there _is_ a difference and she finds that she likes to send him some of her own) hands still shuffling the deck. It's not like Damian, Carter's not instructing her because he plans on making her use it in the future, he's showing her because she asked him to and she might find it useful. "So long as you don't get caught." Carter points at her, trying to display that he's heard about her track record with schemes. "And I might bail you out but I'll deny explaining it to you."

The others at work start to notice that she's happier. Not to say that her new life didn't make her happy, it's just that it's even better. They've fallen into a routine of watching Jenny give small smiles to her phone when she checks it on her lunch break and finding new inspirations for designs everyone loves. Rumor has it that there's a betting pool going around, that Jenny's either on something, been putting extra caffeine in her coffee, or is seeing someone. Jenny's favorite inter Samantha, (who reminds Jenny _a lot_ of Nelly Yuki, before Jenny and Blair made the poor girl a monster so Jenny dotes on her) ends up winning $975 when Carter comes into the office for a suit.

It's a slip of the tongue really, but Carter _accidentally_ kisses and maybe grabs some of her ass too, when one of the new security guards start checking her out as they leave for lunch. The head of the branch of course has to show that one cannot just assume that they can be ogled by just anyone. Her coworkers respect her, except maybe Marcy, who's more than a little peeved that she saw Carter first (not really but _whatever_ ), and Dan or Georgina are no longer active to take on being GG, so Jenny has no reason to believe that anyone will find out of this little _thing_ going on between them. It's something she revels in. Privacy.

 **XXX**

When seasons change they do other things besides cards, froyo, sex, and lunch dates. They go for strolls in the park.

Jenny learns that he calls her Sweetheart, Babe, Doll or Jenn but not Beautiful, like he's done so with so many other girls, because she's better. What Jenny doesn't tell him is that she appreciates Jenn because it's not Little J, Queen J, or even Little Humphrey! Some people had tried saying _Jenn_ before but when Carter says it, it feels...nice. Like it fits, just because.

Carter lets her watch that 25 days marathon until Christmas comes because that's something she secretly looks forward to every year. She stays every single one of those days at his place and makes him watch it with her. He jokes and points out the flaw in every movie or makes a comment on how unrealistically those things such as happy endings are but secretly he finds her enthusiasm refreshing and bears through every night just so he can see her get all huffy and argue her point in her short length sweaters and silk pink underwear about why it's all in the spirit and etcetera, etcetera. Carter honestly only half listens because he enjoys her passion and the other half of his attention in making her angry all over again.

 **XXX**

It's ironic, he thinks. Once upon a time, he had been the prince of a whole tri-state area. Back then, before, at the start of the S, B, C, N, D, V, and yes even a Little J, he and his friends ruled. Instead, it was all about Stella Warrenson, Briar Westchester, Carter Baizen, Nic Aundale, Darien Hapburn and Jocelyn Hapburn, and Vinly... whatever her last name was. Though the roles were reversed back then too. Carter was what Nate could have been and then some Chuck. The twins Darien and Jocelyn had a more striking resemblance to a mix of Blair and Nate. Briar faded into the dark, and even if her name was still whispered among many, once Serena took her place there was no going back but maybe that's what she'd always wanted to have in the first place. Nic held the constant battle of being the good friend to being the worst enemy, something that Dan and Chuck could never be but were the separate entities of Carter's forgotten friend. Finally sweet Stella, the girl who held all the signs and had done no wrong; Carter was there for the funeral, and the van der Bilt – Archibald family had yet to answer to _all_ their deadly sins...

Oh how the times had changed.

When Carter watches Jenny slipping from one persona to another, he finds peace in the fact that she can be whoever she wants to be. It's just humorous that she became _The_ It Girl overnight, without being hand picked or having to have someone step down. It was natural, in the way she moves. He'll listen to her when she drunkenly dials him, propositioning him (to which of course he tells her not to with a smirk, because he's not always a good guy and he'll have sex with her, if given the opportunity. Jenny was the new crisp breath. There was no such thing as Carter taking advantage, when it came to the subject of her; it was a given), and then later rambling on about how she sometimes hates how she didn't get the chance to be her, when it really mattered most.

He likes that she crinkles her nose not in disgust but in play when she's weighing her options. When they walk along in the park Carter lets out laughs at the fact that she can be so childish for some things, that it's refreshing. Watching her lips are interesting, just in the way that she does so many things with them: running her mouth with attitude (he'll roll his eyes and cockily leads her on with false justifications), biting her bottom lip because she's uncertain (' ** _maybe she'll draw blood and then we'll see how snipping she is'_** ), laughing with her teeth showing (in time, maybe he'll be worthy enough to laugh with her too), and feeling them because there is nothing better than finding the perfect fitting lips that do things he knows aren't all that innocent ( ** _'and let's not get_ _started on her_ _tongue_ _!'_** ).

Jennifer Humphrey had him wrapped around her little pinky and he never had a chance.

 **XXX**

In general cultures, when becoming more serious in ones relationship it is customary for introductions to be made to the significant other's parentals/guardians. Obviously, the same rules don't apply to those of high society... or those who may or may not have iffy credentials on whether they're time from banishment is up. Jenny personally works with the woman who all but threw her out of town, so she's allowed to come and go as she pleases again and Carter somehow makes it a habit of having plane tickets bought for him, without his consent, every time he makes an unwelcome surprise visit. Still the matter remains: meeting the family.

Her household is out of the question. Aside from the numerous and somewhat incestuous ties that her friends and family all have with one another, one thing is certain. A visit with Carter by her side would throw the whole Upper East Side into chaos and could quite possibly start the beginning of WWIII! In fact, Jenny is sure that the only people that wouldn't bat an eye at Carter would be Erik, Lily, and her dad and even that is a bit of a stretch. However, Jenny comes to find out that while her family isn't even a question Carter's is...questionable?

It seeps into her slowly. While she can't go two weeks without mentioning something lame and funny her dad did or _'this one time in Brooklyn with Dan',_ he never follows up with an instance of his own. This perplexes Jenny to no end and even if her hunch about him still being sore about being pushed out and making Carter pave his way on his own, she weighs that can't be the whole reason why the man doesn't talk about them. So while she's at work she may do a little snooping. Googling his last name bring up a whole lot of (some peculiar but within the realm of high society gossip) articles that tell of his family. None that speak of all of them together though. This eats her up inside because honestly she has as much right to meet his family as much as he wants to stay away from hers. Jenny brings it up once or twice but then Carter becomes cold and gruff refusing to say anything on the subject matter or uses his powers of persuasion to bring the conversation to a different subject, making Jenny forget about it all until much later in the day.

Finally one evening she's had enough. "What's your _damage!?_ " she nearly yells after trying and failing yet again for him to open up about his family. "I get it. Your family has issues but I would hope that you'd at least give me a little bit of hint as to why I should back off!"

Carter's icy cynical chuckles emit from his throat as he stares at her with one of his seven deadly smiles. This one is filled with unresolved hate but it's still not the smile that makes Jenny shiver with fear, although she knows that he's still hiding that one in the back of his psyche to share with her one day.

Carter explains. "Neither of my parents wanted anything to do with me. I'm a mistake as I've been told many a time. They were focused on their careers and would have gladly made me disappear had my grandmother not been avid in her religion. From what I understand, I could very well _not_ have been a Baizen, had my striking resemblance to my father not pulled threw. My mother was a whore and my father a snake. Family alikeness starting to take shape yet?" He sent her a smirk as Jenny sat in silence not sure how to react to this all so far. "They were hardly ever home, but then again, neither was I. Once for a whole year when I turned five, they shipped me off to their summer estate in the Hamptons where the staff could look after me. You know, kind of like a mantle piece that they didn't want to have to keep polishing." Stabbing his food with his fork, Carter gaged her reaction but still held his murderous grin. "I only ever saw them when they got back from wherever they went all the time only to have them leave again the next second. It was the nannies, butlers, housemaids and doormen that took care of me, Jen, and we went threw so many of those people I couldn't tell you where their last known location is, to have you meet them." Jenny watched him with anticipation but didn't back down from her equally hardened stare. "If you want to meet my parents, I hear they're flying into London this month, for some event. You can get your satisfaction then."

So that's exactly what they do.

Carter's whole body screams of disagreement, from his clenched jaw and hands stuffed deeply in his pants pockets. Jenny's expecting this big showdown that Carter had built up with his rage from years of neglect and privileged temper tantrums. What surprises her is how civil the Baizen's are to their own kind. Not to mention, the likeliness of their handsome offspring.

Eriol Baizen is the spitting image of Carter ( _'or is it the other way around?'_ ) with some details traded in from the mother. The same dirty blond, almost brown, hair with some silver starting to pepper in at the sideburns of the older man. Those deep caverned but wide eyed mirrors to the soul, that splice through to detect any farce a person tried to hold to them. How they carried themselves with dignity but also pride ( _'and_ ** _a lot_** _of it!'_ ) saying that they have conquered lands far beyond anyone's normal comfort zone. Both Carter and Eriol held a trademark that must have been passed down from generation to generation in their distinctive dimpled chin. In simple terms Eriol Bazien was a man all his own but Carter would one day grow into being him and time would age her boyfriend well.

While Eriol Baizen aged well, the same could be debated when discussing the subject of his wife, Meridian 'Mimi' Baizen, once Cordeline. Jenny was astounded that the woman before didn't coincide with the passage of time because she didn't appear a day passed 30! Internally, Jenny was arguing with herself on whether it could be chalked up from her copious amounts of money, ergo a great plastic surgeon, or the hard truth that she was just naturally that beautiful (that would explain _a lot_ when it came to Carter's mindset on pretty women and why he calls them that). Donning a dress ironically designed by Jenny herself before it was shipped off to the buyer and long red hair flowing down her back it could easily be said that Mimi Baizen stunned anyone she came in contact with.

"Carter dear, your father and I are ever so enthralled that you could greet us at the gates of London." Mimi charmed with an equally elusive voice that Carter had been instilled with.

"Son I must say, I am even more spell bound in acknowledging this magnificent woman hanging off your arm." Eriol went on to say gesturing at Jenny who had yet to fall out of her trance yet. "May we have a name, Beautiful?"

"Mother, Father, this is Jennifer Tallulah Humphrey, of J by Waldorf." Carter introduced with no hint of tenseness gracing his voice. "I'm sure you've had the pleasure of hearing about her."

Both nodded and grinned like two pirates striking gold.

"Yes."

"Quite."

And the rest of the evening would go on. Having been treated to dinner before by Carter, she almost choked when his parents did the same. Suddenly, the conversations at the table were not of good natured light jabs to the other occupants but of seriousness and passive aggressive speeches. Jenny only chose to observe for the first hour, to get a sense of how this whole thing was going to play out. Occasionally throwing in her two cents worth or speaking when spoken to directly. It was in that small time frame that she noticed some things that Carter may not be to proud of picking up from his parents but was obviously perfected by him.

For instance, Carter held Mimi's smirk with the same quirk of her lips and the way it was attached to every instance to which she was unknowingly by others, triumphant. Where as Eriol's pout could be placed on Carter's face and know one would be the wiser. The rise and fall of political gain was rolling off Eriol's tongue with certainty as he debated his son and the snarky conceited attitude that Carter spoke with was a mirror image of his mother's.

When Jenny finally got a feel for this family, she jumped right in and engaged, creating more laughs and eased minds at the table. She did miss the way Carter gazed at her but it wouldn't be the last time.

Once everyone took their separate ways, Carter and Jenny trekked down the street to Carter's apartment laughing at some joke Jenny had told at the table that Carter was now making fun of.

"You know, they're not all that bad." She states as the laughter dies down and Carter becomes silent in trying to find a response.

He shrugged with a roll of his eyes. "They like to put on a show. You were just the lucky victim that they could impress." Jenny just hummed with a small knowing smile gracing her lips.

"They love you." She stated looking ahead into the fall night. "And you love them. Even if neither of you are willing to admit it."

"They don't _like_ me." Carter pointed out the flaw in her logic.

Jenny shrugged it off. "They don't have too, they may even hate you but unconditionally they love you. Your father enjoys the challenge of someone to argue with and your mother's proud of how easily you can doge and weave the conversation to your liking in order to get what you want. It reminds them of who they are."

Carter raised an eyebrow at the blond. "And they're still willing to hate those parts of themselves?"

Jenny sighed. "Everyone hates a portion of themselves, even the best parts. Since you display it with ease and confidence because that's who you are well it's kind of a slap in the face for them."

The silence was calming until they got to the complex. "They can always hate me then."

Jenny wouldn't have it any other way.

 **XXX**

Their fights ricochet off the walls. He gets jealous and possessive, becoming his snobby self and often drops back into an unyielding prick, but all within good reason and she loves to ride the defense and going withdrawn, slipping into bitch mode, threatening that she could screw up his life if she really needed to, but they are both stubborn, never liking to admit that they are in the wrong, take small comfort to throwing things, and wound one another with angry sex and cruel words because they're main goal is to make the other one suffer. Jenny's acidic voice scathes with phrases like:

"You honestly think people see you worth something?!"

"How can anyone put trust in a Bass – Archibald knockoff!?"

"A trust – fund _brat_ who's parents cut him off because he was a wanderer and he only came back to con people?! Do you _know_ how _**pathetic**_ that sounds?!"

"No wonder Serena couldn't commit! The canary and the fox! You just love to _**ruin**_ me!"

And Carter retaliates all the same with blows just as hard:

"Me?! You come from a family of _liars!_ Your Mom lied about her new boyfriend, Dad lied about his other kid, and brother lied about waving all you dirty laundry to dry!"

"You don't think I don't _see_ what you are, Jennifer Humphrey?! You're just as bad as everyone in that hell of a city! Probably a shit load _**worse**_!"

"I can only imagine why Nate took pity on _**you**_ , the little Brooklyn girl who defies Blair and _understands_ him! Please! He was _**bored**_ with you the moment he got your attention and realized he didn't _**want**_ it!"

"And lets not forget! _Your_ parents didn't want you _**either**_!"

Usually when they're done, one of them demands that they talk about it because that's how she was brought up and his coined phrase is that _**'you can't run from this forever'**_. They immediately fall for their own regret, when they see the marks they've left on the other, in a moment of hurt. She sees the red of the slap mark she smacked across his face with the nail scrapes racked into his abdomen and shoulders, he sees the bruises already starting to form on her hips and legs, along with the pain he caused from slamming his body against hers, so that she hits the surface with just as much force as he's putting in.

Carter holds her, shaking, and strokes her hair while Jenny silently weeps, keeping a firm grip on him, both do it so that they'll feel if either tries to disappear in the morning. They never do.

 **XXX**

After about two years they decide to get a place together. Half a year into that they forget who they were (not that they were ever really focusing on that anyway) and enjoy who they are. The two former elites never say it but they're a couple. Carter Baizen is boyfriend to and dating Jenny Humphrey while she chooses to do the same as Carter Baizen's girlfriend. They loath saying it out loud and normally don't need to unless addressing strangers. Even then, they are so comfortable in what they've become, that it's all self-explanatory. No longer do there fights revolve around their past deeds or mutual acquaintances but why he just can't simply see her side of things or why should she think that he's only in this relationship for her. A certain high school crush is the farthest from their minds and they've developed their own set of friends.

One night they're out to dinner with his business partners and associates, when somebody somewhere asks how they met.

"Which time?" Jenny will hold back her amusement very poorly and Carter will go on to explain to the confused faces.

"I got punched in the face trying to get with her boss and sister." Carter pretends to be sheepish but Jenny has been with him long enough to run into his conquests as her new customers. It's entertaining to see some of those girls get flustered or them try and lure him back into their bed. Honestly, both Carter and Jenny like to make a mess of things and see how far they can push back those girls buttons just for kicks.

His colleges send Jenny appreciative looks and say stuff like _**'good girl'**_ and _**'way to keep him in line'**_ before he laughs at the irony. "Actually, I didn't do it," Jenny explains with a playful pout. "But I'm sure if he was being his smart-alec self, it was believably well deserved." She turns her smirk to him which he sends right back, saying that _**'she'll probably pay for that tonight'**_ but she just rolls her eyes.

"Yeah well, we actually didn't know each other back then." He tells the table with a somber smile.

One of his more rowdy businessmen chortles. "How could you not notice this fine woman?!"

Carter shrugged. "Oh I noticed her, I just didn't take the time to see her and us back then?" He scoffed at his own antics. "I wouldn't give her second thought. Probably should have," He told them charmingly, raising his wine glass with the rest of the table. "Would have saved me a lot of trouble!" Carter drank seeing the small sad expression next to him before she hid it with a fake mask.

Later that night when they're the last ones at the table, Jenny storms out of the restaurant and begins walking down the street, before Carter throws his money down and goes to follow her. "Hey!" He calls after the long blond haired girl but she's clearly ignoring her. " **Hey!** " Carter frustratingly turns her around, meeting with the rosy faced cheeks and startling blue eyes that make her seem like a winter time goddess against the snow. She's avoiding his gaze and Carter can see that she's evidently mad about something. "What's the matter with you?" He inquires with concern.

"Nothing." She tells him with a tired sigh and voice averting her eyes to the ground then over his head. "Listen can we just – can we just walk home?"

Carter studies her. In the beginning he might have just let the moment drop but he's got first hand experience of what happens when Jennifer Humphrey lets a storm brew inside her. "No. We're going to stand in the street until you tell me what's wrong."

Her eyes went ablaze. "I'm _sorry_ , I'm not one of your little business buddies that you can just order around like some kind of dog!"

Carter scoffed. "Oh and I was the only one in there giving the orders? You had them eating out of the palm of your hand, Sweetheart!"

Tears started to build up in her eyes as snow fell around them but still Jenny refused to look at him, taking a couple steps backwards toward the direction she was originally going in. "Let's go, apparently this issue isn't going to be solved anytime soon so why don't we just-"

That's what made Carter groan with anger. "No, tell me! Show me what's bothering you!"

" ** _How can I?!_** " Jenny screeched, tears now bursting, falling down her face easily. "How can I, huh?" She repeated with more control over her voice, quickly wiping away the first set of tears before more fell down the trail staining her cheeks. She sniffed, hating feeling like this in front of anyone, especially him. "You want to know what's _wrong_ _with me_?" Jenny asked, taking one step toward him again. "I'm worried that you didn't take the time notice because we're not right for each other. I mean, even now, you don't share some of you past with me!" He's about to respond but she cuts him off. "And _don't_ say you're not holding back! _I'm_ the one who should be holding back but I've been nothing but open and you can't even share with what you share with **_Serena!_** _"_ She told him fighting back her little sobs in her throat.

" _That's_ what this is about!?" Carter was stunned and sounded incredulous for her reasoning. Closing the gap between them so that he could place his hands on her upper arms, Carter made Jenny stare into his eyes. "Weren't you listening to _anything_ I was saying back there Jenn!?" She searched his gaze before he lowered his voice. "I did _notice_ you Jenn, I just didn't _see_ you." She still didn't look convinced. Sighing, he went further. "Would I have found you enticing? Yes. Do you think I would've kept you for very long? No. I was a _bad_ guy, Babe." He told her trying to convince her that there wasn't some cosmic force trying to drive them apart or that her doubts should mean they should stop trying. "I did stuff, in Santorini," He sighed trying to let it flow out. "There were cops and government officials involved for things that _I_ did...things that weren't very _legal_...anywhere in the world. I've lied and cheated and torn apart lives, so excuse me if I didn't think it a good idea." Carter was not taking his eyes off her. "I was afraid that if I told you it might lead to some sort of reaction, like this. I only let Serena know because she was there and because she is just as screwed up as I am, surely more."

"So what?" Jenny's voice broke with fear. "I'm too good for you?"

"Yes!" Carter exclaimed. "You're always going to be too good for anyone Jenny." He told her soothingly hoping this wasn't the end of something he enjoyed. "You and I, we're the ones to get left but the people that leave us don't deserve us. Never forget that Jenn." Jenny nodded her head wiping away the tears with a sad smile. He needed to tell her it was just hard. Yes she was too good for him and he knew that but he was too selfish of a person to let someone else take her. Carter was also too bad of a person to let her go on with him. That's why he hadn't told her yet. What he didn't know is that Jenny knew that's the reason all along. Carter became serious. "I...I lo-"

"I love you!" Jenny rushed out before him, amazed. She shouldn't have to say it first. Everything in her past, points to him saying it first but everything in his past says that telling it to her would be hard...because he's protecting her. "I love you." Jenny Humphrey whispered with more confidence this time.

Stunned, he whispered back the only thing that seemed right. "I love you too." Jenny let out a nervous giggle which turned into a smile and then she met his lips softly with hers. It was the end of the middle.

 **XXX**

It's by pure accident when Erik takes a surprise visit for the spring to London, only to find his best friend in the most compromising of situations. To Erik, it's been too long since he's seen his confidant in person and feels like a much needed detox in a city that's not his own will do him some good. The youngest van der Woodsen did not expect this.

It starts with him popping in at her work, everyone is swiftly doing their job and when he asks the front desk woman where he can find Jenny Humphrey _'I'm kind of like her brother.'_ he'll state to the receptionist and she'll let him on through because he's not only friends with The Jenny Humphrey, It Girl of London, but also because he's Erik van der Woodsen and that last name can get him the world if he ever uses it, which he hardly does. Everyone else in the department is on break so the place is completely deserted but if Erik knows Jenny then he knows that she'll be in her office diligently working overtime on her next piece. So he walks into her big fancy office only to find that she is in fact working hard, just not on any piece of fabric and is certainly getting paid for that overtime. With her high slit cream maxi skirt cascading around her hips as she holds up her partner in sin's pants from behind, the front pulled down and open to meet her full on with his thrusts and grunts. Jenny's arm is latched onto the mysterious man's shirt covered back while her chin rests on his shoulder, eyes closed palpitating whining breathes and sighs of pleasure. They're at the end, Erik can only tell because Jenny's mysterious boy toy gives one final grunt while Jenny utters a relief. "Carter-"

Erik promptly closes the door with red stained cheeks and sits down to the side of the door way. He can't hear anything through the wall but when Jenny and Carter burst out, clothes in their proper place and flushed faces, Jenny's own blush deepens when she comes face to face with a sickly looking van der Woodsen.

"Erik!" Jenny exclaims with disbelief while Carter rolls his eyes in annoyance and sighs. Some one had a long explanation ahead of them.

Later, when everyone is all settled down and _not_ hot and bothered, they're all found sitting at a round table at a little cafe across from the company. Even if Erik had always found sanction in the little remote whole in the wall places that Jenny could pull from thin air, he was having a hard enough time concentrating with Carter Baizen sitting across from. It was almost appalling to be so outright with his stare towards the older man but Erik couldn't help the ingression. Like his mother trading in her emeralds for sapphires, Carter had tried on one sister only to replace his need for another...or so Erik initially thought. Watching the two interact, it was clear to see that Jenny hadn't ever been able to hold the attention of someone in love because she was never the one to be loved over. It was new to her and because of it she was still the naïve Jenny Humphrey from Brooklyn that Erik was so fond of keeping. That part of her has kept the young van der Woodsen grounded in this hectic game of politics and power. But watching her laugh – a true laugh, the kind Erik had only ever heard in the early days since before that first sleepover at Blair's, _that_ was truly powerful. Maybe Erik could find it in himself to gloss over Serena's obvious misconception of the restored Baizen heir and give him a chance. For Jenny's sake.

Carter doesn't vocalize it for the remainder of time that Erik stays with them but he's sure that it's over between him and Jenny. The open stares that the familiar young man gives him is all too daunting but Carter hides it with a mask that could only be described as arrogant suave and puts on a brave face. This Baizen is no fool, he can see the wheels turning in Erik's head, the way he scrutinizes every move that Carter makes and how he responds to Jenny. Well Carter doesn't play by anyone else's rules but his own and Erik should know that! He's not going to show the alarm that goes off when Jenny and Erik schedule a day just for them or how Carter knows that Erik will try and convince Jenny otherwise to stay with him. He loves her and has hope that she's slowly growing deeper in love with him too but if she wants to leave he's not going to let her go so easily, no matter what the van der Woodsen might pull. So for now while he still has her love, he'll cherish every moment and treat it as if nothing is bothering him and that everything is the same and soon they'll be shut in their room again doing some very not so sinless things.

On the day out, Jenny wakes from her position in hers and Carter's bed, only to find her guy still asleep holding onto her for dear life. Untangling herself to hop in the shower, she gives him one last glance and gets ready to leave for the day. After effortlessly becoming a walking model, she and Erik take off to stroll around London with every intention of doing what needs to be done. They avoid the subject matter like the plague. Both of them knowing that, in a single instance, one wrong word could break either a friendship or a relationship, so they don't address it. Laughing along blissfully, and reminiscing about how they needed this Jenny's surprised by the end that Erik and her slow their walk to breech the elephant in the room.

"You're good for each other." Erik will say and Jenny just hums and smiles sheepishly, agreeing with that statement as if it was common knowledge. Jenny will further ask him if Erik can bear the fact that she's not ashamed in her choice, to which Erik will explain that he's only ever seen Carter Baizen as the guy who screwed over his sister Serena but now he's open to seeing Carter Baizen keeping his best friend Jenny. It's a comfortable silence and they both understand that everything and everyone changes whether for better or good is all dependent on who's watching and that it's just a matter of time. Erik will bid her a farewell (he has to make his flight back) and she'll just walk slowly by herself to home.

Getting there she finds Carter making food ( _'Really Jenn, who taught you how to cook and did they realize that we need_ _ **live**_ _after taking the first bite?'_ ) she doesn't know what it is but it smells heavenly. Shedding her coat, she'll walk over to Carter and chat idly about her outing with Erik and Carter will just nod his head along at the right times, trying to convey a persona of confidence and not of relief. He's an idiot if he didn't think that she'd know how much this visit has stressed him out but the beauty of it is that Jenny doesn't need to hold it over his head... _yet_ , she'll just revel in how well he's handling it and that she hasn't a clue. They eat, have sex (by _God!_ Three straight days with Erik in the other room would have been the death of Carter if Jenny hadn't already made a promise to him of this moment), and go back to normal or as normal as they get.

When they're done, Jenny reminds Carter that if they were to visit New York then they'd have more than just a well meaning best friend to deal with. Carter answers back with his, too damned to care about the consequences, attitude that it's a good thing that they don't have a reason to go back. Jenny just smiles warmly at him and listens to the breathing of his chest as he lulls himself into a slumber. Maybe it's best to tell him about the little + sign she got tomorrow.


	2. It's All In The Sweet Escape

**AN:/ First of all I want to thank you guys for liking this story so much. I couldn't help but think it was going to be a flopp but I'm starting to think differently! Next on this agenda, I apologize for bringing in my original characters as Carter's shady past buddies. I just _really_ need one of them for the chapter after this (be the first to guess which one right in a review and I'll name you the surprise guest for a twist) so that Jenny can- nevermind you'll find out later. Plus these guys will just be mentioned throughout the story and not really be part of it except for a few instances where it is absolutely necessary to move Jenny and Carter's plot along. When I think of Briar Westchester I see Emily Wickersham, Nic Aundale potrayed by Toby Hemingway, Stella Warrenson as Mackenzie Rosman, The Hapburn twins to be Analeigh Tipton and Steven R. Mcqueen, and Vinly as Lindsay Pearce. Speaking of OCs guess what? I brought in _THE_ _O.C._ (DON'T OWN EVEN IF I WANTED TO!) for those of you who don't know who or what that refers to it's not important per sey that you are familiarized with it (But honestly it was the baby before GG and the same people worked with it to make it just as awesome and you should honestly check it out!) just a little cameo here and there to build drama. And yes I am aware that the same actress who played Kaitlyn Cooper was also Agnes and that Rachel Bilson made a funny cameo homage at the season finale of Gossip Girl but if Rachel Bilson can be famous in the same universe as Agnes being frenemies with Jenny Humphrey and pretend that this isn't a strange universe then IDK what is! Tripp comes in...eh I'm not so sure why I did that but I'll find his purpose I want to make clear that no one is actually the bad guy in this story, it's all how you percieve the writing. So good luck!**

* * *

In the beginning, it wasn't easy. They had their rough patches, like any normal couple would, but that's to say that they were a normal couple...which they weren't. Both had trust issues so big, that even a blimp would be overshadowed by it. Neither one of them had truly dealt with their pent up feelings from lives past very well and as a result, siphoning those emotions into something good and positive was something very new to them. Once she was innocent and full of hope and wonder, only to have it be squandered by deceit, ambition, and the cutting edge of a new life and he had everything anyone could ever wish for later to be pulled out from underneath his feet held up like a prize that could never be reached. They've crushed lives and scarred reputations but lost themselves along the way. It was this that made people believe that they were irredeemable, when in fact it was those very same people that transformed them into the worst of themselves. For them, it was easier to say that they had no part in creating the monster and killing the spirit, not taking responsibility for the actions that set the domino effect into place and just placing the blame on the two victims it befell upon. Not to say that said victims were at all sinless. She knew that the seed was planted and it was her choice to let it die out or blossom. This resulted in an unbalanced queen. He had matured with the rest of those around him with temptation at every corner. It was either using all the willpower in the world to remain in the shadows or throw everything he's got, even if it was the biggest bluff he had, into the game. To everyone else they deserved nothing, they had one no one; just things to be forgotten and rightfully so for the deeds they performed with such clarity and delicacies that it's a wonder if they always had it in them to begin with and perhaps just need the right push. Both were forgotten or replaced because really did anyone who mattered truly pay attention to them when it wasn't needed? The others didn't see it coming, she and him, and that's the beauty of it. They end up the only ones getting what they want while everyone else only gets what they deserve.

It's the only thing that matters...

 **XXX**

It's the only thing that matters. At least that's what Carter fools himself into believing while he and Jenny sit on the plane ride over to the Upper East Side to announce to her family that she's carrying his child...and the fact that she's been with him for a three years and not once has mentioned that it's Carter Baizen that Jenny finds happiness in. He's _sure_ **that** will go over well. In his opinion, the kid could grow up without knowing its grandparents. It's not unheard of when such a tangled mess has been woven for the likes of them but when Carter glances over at Jenny to voice such an opinion, he finds the blond haired beauty fast asleep and looking as peaceful as the day before in their bed, except now she's in a first class seat awaiting further alienation and banishment. Carter lets out a low growl in discontent. He loves her and she really screwed him over because of that. Never one to put anyone before himself, Carter finds that being with Jenny Humphrey may have put a kink into that outlook. So no, he won't tell her _not_ to go ahead with this idea ( _'they're already on the_ _ **plane**_ _for Christ's sake!'_ ) because she wouldn't be happy to not give her family, the child growing inside her or the ones who hardly speak to her now, a chance. At least they can agree upon one thing: No matter how much anyone tries to force them, they aren't getting married just because of the kid.

Admiring her from his seat next to hers, Carter ponders how much this child is going to break her heart as it grows, could she stand the inevitable worst parts it will get from both her and him? Carter finally sees why his parents find him a mistake but why Jenny insists that Eriol and Mimi love him unconditionally. He hates when she's right, it means that she can tease him about it later on.

Carter really does love Jenny Humphrey and for that she's screwed him over.

 **XXX**

When they land, Jenny is all sorts of excitement and nervousness. This can be easily told in the way she's rambling and babbling on and on about how she wonders _'how big Henry Bass is now'_ and _'Dan had sent me an email two months back saying something about the new Gossip Girl as the subject but I didn't really read it and kind of forgot about it'_ and _'oh did I ever show you my place in Brooklyn?'_ and _'that's funny I don't remember that shop being there'_ and-. Carter finds it amusing that she's trying to fill their time before the big showdown that's coming with tedious chatter so he pulls close and laughs at her for being the one to be so shifty. Jenny pouts and tells him that it's no laughing matter and he gives her that condescending chuckle saying that _she's_ _ **right**_ and that he'll bet that everyone will just warm back up to him with open arms. She pouts some more but doesn't say anything because if she does he'll find a way to win that argument too and Carter knows Jenny hates it when he wins. Carter idly thinks that her friends ( _'if you could call them that'_ ) and family might be in for a little surprise once they notice that Jenny's not someone who's so easily manipulated anymore. Another thought plagues the back of Carter's mind in terms of the past. That being Serena and Nate. While Carter is sure that Serena is just a small portion in his life now and doesn't mean a thing Carter can't be too certain of Jenny. She loves him he knows but Carter is a firm believer that current love doesn't just transcend all those previous. The worst part is that Carter knows that she knows this too. Jenny's either going to find closer or she's going to find herself with a choice and Carter's too selfish of a man to let her go so easily. He often puts himself first but he knows that if she falls for Nate again then she'll be miserable for the rest of her life and he won't allow that.

It's all that matters...

 **XXX**

The word _tense_ doesn't even begin to describe the air in the living room. The Basses greeted them with annoying jabs at Carter, trying to expose him for whatever game he's supposedly playing but, ever the quick witted guy that he is, Carter bites back with just as many undermining smirks. Dan can't help but just raise an eyebrow at his sister, reminding her that before Dan revealed himself as the group's mystery sleuth he had dedicated a whole page to Carter Baizen and his trips and conquests around the world, so Dan in fact did know more about what Carter had done, more than Jenny wished for him to know. Serena seemed to hold a face with a mix of hurt and astonishment at both the reinvented people before her. Finally, Nate's face was stony, showing no emotion but showing everything by saying nothing. Yep, Jenny just bit her bottom lip and thought about possible escape plans. Carter sent her a glance that obviously said _'Right again! When do we leave?'_ but Jenny wasn't giving up so easily.

"Hey guys." Pushing in a little bit of fake enthusiasm, Jenny waited for someone to say something positive and, when that clearly wasn't happening, Erik appeared out of the blue stepping in to save the day.

"Jenny, Carter, you made it!" Going around to hug Jenny and shake Carter's hand, Erik asked if Jenny was ready for her welcome back feast that Rufus had prepared before shuffling them in the direction of some of the older adults in the other room.

Jenny almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. "Think I killed one of them?"

Carter went along with it. "Pretty sure you gave Archibald a heart attack."

"You two really love your entrances don't you?" Erik sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to be an easy get together. "Speaking of which, you're attending the party later tonight and I hope you have something better than bottled up laughs to keep the peace."

Carter rolled his eyes at the youngest van der Woodsen's worry. "What's a party without making a scene?" he told them then brought Jenny closer by the waist and thought of all the ways this visit couldn't be anymore of circus.

 **XXX**

Religion was never a big deal with Jenny's family. Both her parents were free spirits and her grandmother had always given Dan and her the _option_ of attending mass with her but it was never implied that they _had_ too. Contradictorily, Jenny is a firm believer now that there is some higher power out there and that it just didn't want this visit to go well. That being said, the not even a month old baby that's growing inside her _must_ get it's sick and twisted sense of cynical humor from Carter because there is no way that she would normally find an ironic situation like this funny. Such situation involved her and Carter dressing up to attend a party with people who are already out for blood but the fact that this party brought in _everyone_ such as, Cece Rhodes, Jack and Georgina Bass, any numerous van der Bilts, Eriol and Mimi Baizen, not to metion a ton of people that Jenny has never met but everyone else seems to hold in high regards, even higher than some of her friends, and Jenny had yet to tell anyone that her and Carter were having a baby. Great just great.

She's not sure how, but in the midst of chatting up some other big wigs that wish to know how Carter is doing now a days, Jenny ended up in the middle of the open courtyard by herself. Of course she is never really by herself. It's no big secret that with her new look and being back to the sweet loving girl that she was before everything, Jenny has turned a lot of heads her way, unintentionally. Gone were the days when people would look to Serena and Blair for the source of everything, now people gave Jenny those hungry admiring forlorn looks. It's something she wasn't used to here. Sipping her glass of lemonade, Jenny felt a hand on her back to find the owner belonged to the Tripp van der Bilt, Nate's older cousin.

"My are you stunning." Tripp tells her charismatically smiling.

Jenny gives him her friendly winning smile and greets him with much graciousness. "Tripp!"

The blond man seems perplexed but timidly smiles. "Forgive me, but I can't for the life of me remember ever meeting you and _that's_ a problem."

Jenny's not one to judge. She's heard all about the van der Bilt scandal through GG and what went down with Nate Serena and Tripp but Jenny has made more mistakes than she is willing to own up to and she is a firm believer in second chances because everyone knows she'd been given more than enough in her life. While everyone was split down the middle with the van der Bilts, Tripp and Nate were always the black sheep of the family. Tripp was just groomed better into becoming what everyone needed him to be. So why should she give him the cold shoulder? "It's okay." Jenny laughs at that. "I wasn't who everyone wanted me to be when I was here." Tripp just cocks his head to the side intrigued but doesn't interrupt as she goes on. "I'm Jenny Humphrey. I work with Blair Bass."

Tripp seems a little off put by that last line but tries to hide it. "So you are aware of my...situation." It's not a question, just common knowledge that Tripp is unlikeable by people whose names start with N, S, D, B, and C.

Jenny tried to show that she was still welcoming. "The information _has_ been spread about." Tripp nodded, grimacing as if to feel bad about what he's in for. "Doesn't mean that I have to take that warning." Both of them grinned at one another sharing a bit of an inside joke among outcasts to society.

A familiar voice had cut through breaking their friendly conversation. "No but it certainly helps with your track record." Nate came to stand in between Jenny and Tripp.

"You'll have to excuse my cousin for his brashness," Tripp apologized unsympathetically while Nate glared him down. "He gets it from the Archibald side of things."

"I'm _sorry_ , did I ask for _your_ opinion on my character, Tripp?" Nate warned him.

Tripp rolled his eyes at his younger cousin (though Jenny thought they bantered like brothers with severed ties) and sighed with grievance. "No, but I thought it might be instructional to point out to this lovely lady which type of characters she should stay away from."

Nate snorted at that. " _Believe_ _me,_ she knows what type from the characters she keeps."

Jenny had had enough. " _Excuse me?!_ "

Nate sighed turning his attention to the annoyed girl. "Look Jenny we _need_ to talk."

Jenny nodded at him with disappointment in her eyes. "You're right Nate. You made it _very_ clear that we do. But I'm not going to talk to someone who's already got their agenda set."

Tripp barged in again. "Jenny would you like me to have him escorted away?"

Jenny whined, massaging her temples. "No Tripp-"

Nate turned on his cousin again with a pointed finger. "You stay out of this!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." A new voice spoke calmingly, revealing a man Jenny had never met before but recognition seemed to pass through Nate's eyes as he straightened up (or tensed) a bit. The man had platinum blond hair and striking blue eyes with a soft tan and a well built stock; Jenny had surely never seen this guy. So why was he getting involved?

"Nic Aundale." Nate nodded with high esteem but this still didn't clear up who was to Jenny.

"Nate Archibald and Tripp van der Bilt." Nic mused aloud with a smile that held no warmth. "You two and your families have some business that need to be dealt with in good time."

Tripp tired to defend whatever accusation Nate and himself seemed so defensive over. "We weren't involve in such-"

Nic held an even voice but his spoke greater volumes. "I am aware of what your kind is _capable_ of and as I said before, in due time." Turning to Jenny he held out his hand for her to take. "Miss Humphrey, I believe Carter is in need of someone to show off to...unless you'd wish to stay here?" Nic alluded with his eyes going back and forth between Nate and Tripp.

"That won't be necessary." Jenny answered taking his arm and walking over to wherever her boyfriend was, throwing a glance over her shoulder at the two cousins.

Gazing only ahead, Jenny wondered aloud. "How do you know Carter?"

They stopped short and Nic was about to answer when said subject stepped in and answered for him. "We went to school together." Carter told her, possessively pulling Jenny into him, smirking at his long time best friend and rival.

"You should be more careful with this one, Carter." Nic pointed at Jenny dauntingly. "A lot of trouble she is and everyone here seems to think it's worth it." He told Carter before stuffing his hands in his pocket and returning the smirk.

Carter pressed a kiss to Jenny's temple and held her tighter. "I certainly will."

Jenny was right. This baby was doomed.

 **XXX**

With things more settled, the party goes on. Jenny is asking for explanations about Nic and the van der Bilt – Archibald situation but the only answer Carter come up with is that long ago Nic and Stella were supposed to end up together but something happened and it's not really his place to tell. Jenny hurrumphs but doesn't press the matter. If they wanted drama then she'll surely become more stressed than needed. Carter's surprised as any to see the rest of the past here tonight and it makes Carter question who's in charge of this party. Him and Jenny had there run in with Nic and earlier he was sure he caught a glimpse of that Vinly girl asking questions like the nosey little reporter she was always meant to be. Darien and Jocelyn were by the orderves, having those private hushed conversations that only they can have ( _'really it's an amazement that they haven't been discovered sooner! Can't wait until_ _ **that**_ _scandal is blown'_ ). Briar was here with some up and coming architect from the east coast ( _'so that's where she disappeared off to.'_ ), something Atwood. The guy was pretty laid back and he makes Briar happy, so Carter skips the interrogation he had set up and goes to talk to Briar privately while he leaves Jenny to mingle with the Atwood date.

Briar's still Briar, in all her golden glory, even if she was passed up by Serena, who ironically was passed up by Jenny. Carter asks how she's doing and her answer is better, which is considerable progress from the last time any of them saw her, most likely Stella's funeral. Then again, the girl was always a flighty thing. She's smiling and not for the cameras but for herself and Carter thinks that it's because of her new boy toy that might not actually be a toy but he'll ask her about that later. It's when they both glance over at the people they came to this party with that Briar says something mythical and otherworldly that causes people to stop and stare at her and ponder their meaning in life.

"She's perfect you know." Briar told him, smiling at the pair that were having a conversation of their own. "Perfect everything."

Carter knew when Briar was getting existential. "Yeah she is."

"Not just the good parts." Briar told him as she watched Jenny laugh at something her plus one had told her. "The bad ones too. She's perfectly broken as well."

Carter hummed at this observation that he'd made years ago about Jenny. "We're working on it."

Briar turns back to him and smiles. "You've made a lot of growth then." And somehow Carter knows that the girl before him wasn't just talking about his girlfriend.

Carter glances at Briar's architect, who's now speaking freely with Jenny, as if they were old friends getting reaquainted. Turning his notice back to the girl who once held everyone's attention all at the same time, Carter realizes how far they've all come.

Nic is the head lawyer at his firm and will be representing some of the innocent but mostly the criminals of America. Still single because Stella's death doesn't hit more close to home than with him. Darien and Jocelyn will be doing what they do best and offering the finest of diplomacy as translating linguistics for the nations representing ambassador. Vinly was off being Vinly, probably sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, except now she's getting paid to do it as the top news station's most high ranked reporter. Briar was going in between living from once coast to the other, finding herself happy with other wanderers of California but not quite as at home as she is in New York...and apparently not being so fickle in how and who she's with. Stella would have been right there with all of them, ever the girl to push the envelope, trying to shed her young thing cocoon and wanting to be taken seriously for once, she'd probably would have been married to Nic by now and they'd have popped out a kid or two or five. Finally, Carter is one of the highest ranking men in his business with The Girl by his side and a kid on the way. So they aren't all here but they did turn out more okay than the ones after them.

"Come on." Carter motions for them to head back to their dates. All the while he thinks that maybe his family did right by him after all.

 **XXX**

Jenny watches as Carter leads the beautiful looking girl away to have a private chat and wow Jenny thinks that this is _Her._ She'd only ever heard tales from Erik and whispers from girls when she was in high school but she, that girl, she was the one who Serena had upstaged. In Jenny's mind she can't fathom why because this girl holds herself with more deliacy than Serena guises herself with but then again maybe it's not the why but the how that causes one to go up in high society, perhaps it was only a matter of time.

Jenny sees, from the corner of her eye, Briar's date hiding his antsyness well. "Carter's not trying to get with her you know." Jenny reassures the guy with a warm look.

They gives off the laid back vibe and crosses his arms in front of him while he watches the two with a smile as well. "Sorry, it's not that I'm new to this, it's just that it's different."

Jenny sing-songed. "You can take the boy out of California..."

He chuckled. "How'd you know?"

Jenny shrugged innocently. "I've always been a bit of an outsider here too. Also Lily van der Woodsen has been throwing you worried peeks over her shoulder, like she might have dated your dad or something." Jenny joked and he joined in and something told Jenny that had he not done a bit of growing up in his years he wouldn't have been so inclined to take such a string of words so lightly. "Ryan right? Where are you from?"

"Originally? Chino." He admitted staring at his shoes like telling her this would put a dent in their conversation. He must have been met with this reaction a lot Jenny figured.

"Never heard of it." Jenny smirked.

Ryan just gave her a small somber smile. "Probably best that you didn't."

"That's funny," Jenny grinned. "you do know you're talking to a Brooklyn girl right?"

Ryan's eyebrows shot up with surprise. "Brooklyn? But you look so-"

"Fashion conscious?" Jenny suggested playfully.

Ryan shook his head chuckling. "I was going to say high maintenance."

"We dress the part we have too play." Jenny grinned lightheartedly.

Ryan breathed at this while gazing at her contently. "I guess so." Rubbing the back of his neck and sighing the blond expressed his thoughts. "At least you're down to earth. Most of these women here would probably bite my head off, if they knew where I was from."

Jenny shrugged. "Or bite you." Ryan's face held a mix of horror and amusement. "What? Upper East Siders are very aggressive in what they want, _especially_ the women. And with the way you look, I think even Nate Archibald would feel threatened by you." Jenny jested bumping her shoulder to his arm in suggestion.

Ryan arched his brow. "Nate Archibald?"

"The guy everyone woman wants." Jenny waves off nonchalantly.

"Hmm," Ryan nodds understanding. "And did you...ya know?"

Jenny almost chokes on her lemonade. "Want Nate Archibald?" She never had to admit it to anyone Nate before but she just figured that that's what it was in the UES: common knowledge. "I did for sometime but I don't know. You know when you want something but can't have it and after years of wanting, you come to terms with not being allowed to get it so you find something better and it's **_so much better_**...have you ever felt that?"

The Californian was silent for a beat but then smiled sadly at the young girl full of more good and bad choices. "I think we've all had that person that we can't catch up to."

Trying to lighten the mood Jenny noticed a certain Maureen Stewart, once van der Bilt eying Ryan as he spoke to Jenny. "Well, I hope the person chasing after you isn't bitchy, redheaded, and older than you." Jenny motions with her glass towards Maureen and Ryan sees what she means.

The blond man laughs a little for awhile, before staring after Briar as she chatted with Carter. Something about this look made Jenny feel uneasy and it was in that moment she realized why. It was not at all the same distant look that Chuck gives Blair, Dan gives Serena, and lastly the one Carter gives her when she thinks she can't see. It's a face that says they're the next world wonder but they don't want to share such a place with anyone else. But Ryan's face? It doesn't show that. No Ryan's face only holds a feeling of OK. The one that says he's fine with this arrangement but he knows that Briar is just trying to fool herself into falling for Ryan. It says that he knows it but not her, not yet and Ryan's just waiting around forpoor Briar to figure it out maybe even find what he's searching for himself. All of it is scarily too similar. Speaking up, Ryan questions what plagues his mind. "Are all of them? The women, do they all become aggressive in their wants?"

"No." Jenny answered truthfully. "Sometimes we don't know _what_ we want." She told him as their eyes shared an understanding. "That doesn't mean we don't try and find it."

Ryan was grateful. "Thank you, Miss Humphrey."

Jenny was glad. "Anytime, Mister Atwood." And like any great timing in the universe, Carter and Briar returned to their dates.

Ryan watched Jenny and Carter stand together then. Jenny smiled at the two who were so confused and so scared even if they were a couple of old souls. "It was nice to meet both of you." She told them while Briar and Ryan started to stroll off in the opposite direction and Carter led Jenny onward with his arm draped over her shoulders.

Jenny could hear Ryan trying to fit his life together. "Hey, so we should talk, about Marissa and Taylor..."

When Jenny heard Briar answer graciously an okay and a have I told you about Stella, Jenny knew that she had gained a couple of new allies in this mighty board game.

"What are you doing?" Carter whispers into her ear with a smugness that says he knows exactly what she's doing.

Jenny smiles but she doesn't bother to turn to him "Playing cupid."

"Hmm, shceming." Carter corrected her.

"Mio?" Jenny pretends not to have a clue as to what he's talking about as she saunters backwards, watching him watching her. Giggling, she gives up the jig. "Want to join?"

Carter raises an eyebrow at this suggestion because really it's not even her choice to allow him to be part of her little games. "You'll only ever be my only partner in crime Doll." and with that Jenny sprints off waiting for Carter to chase after her.

There may be hope for the Upper East Side yet.

 **XXX**

The next few days blend together. It's really all just give and take at this point. Everyone is on this kick that Carter's out to ruin their lives and Jenny is making _another_ mistake and it all leaves a bad taste in Carter's mouth. Nonetheless, he _tries_ to not stoop to acting like they all never graduated high school. It's hard to do when literally there's a Bass scheming around every corner or a growling Archibald down his back. It doesn't help that now that Jenny's back every single man and, interestingly enough, some women in New York stare at Jenny with a lustful gaze and hang on her every word as if she's otherworldly. Carter doesn't know whether to blame it on the pregnancy glow or the truth that his girl is just that gorgeous but the fact is Jenny Humphrey is _his_.

They don't bring the pregnancy up yet. It's not like they don't want to but finding the right time, when everyone will react positively, doesn't seem possible. He thinks that this is a waste of time but to Jenny this really means a lot, so he'll suffer through a few more extra days until Jenny realizes that the opinions of people who hardly give a damn are useless. In a messed up sort of way he can kind of seeing wanting Blair's reaction to be positive. The woman practically tore Jenny down, only to build her back up and tear her down again. Blair is the closest thing to a role model his girlfriend ever had and it sickens him. He knows she's not wanting Chuck's approval for anything but the guy is strangely protective of the younger Humphrey now that he's got Blair constantly trying to show her affection in the tough love sort of way to Jenny. It's understandable that Jenny wants Dan to be happy for her. Even if the older brother hardly paid attention to what was going on in her life, she was always there for him and because of that she believes he thought her opinion meant something. Stupid Dan for fooling his sister all this time, Carter knows that the older Humphrey didn't really take anything Jenny said to heart once he realized he could have a life of his own. Then there's the matter of Dan's wife and Carter's old on – again, off – again flame. Jenny had voiced before that out of all of them she was sure that once she said a thing about the pregnancy their would be a long time before that kid would know he had an Aunt and Uncle. Carter hardly thought that Serena was the begrudging type but how much did he really know the girl beyond her partying ways and daddy issues? Every other summer's fascination? A bi-monthly enticement? Compared to how much Carter had shared with Jenny and the reciprocation that was given back, Carter knew a lot more about his current blond bombshell then he ever did his previous. For that, Carter had to grin but that too soon faded with the thought of Nate Archibald's reaction to such a find. Carter knows that Jenny loves him but she had _loved_ Nate too and if this pregnancy put a strain on their relationship (anymore than what it already was) then it could break her. Archibald was an idiot for so many reasons but breaking Carter's things goes beyond what Carter allows to let slide.

Going about life right now is different but at least Carter knows that this is easier for him. For Jenny it's all a mounting pressure from different sides, telling her that this is a bad idea. To Carter this visit is just another one of his do what he wants moments. They'll wake up and hop in the shower to have sex, mosey on out to get dressed, and find their way into a kitchen full of strangers or, to Jenny, people she cares about. Jenny will get him his coffee because she knows how he likes it and she'll ask where the decaf is, making up some excuse that it's better for her skin and not how the caffeine could screw up the little thing growing inside of her and they only really talk to each other and sometimes Erik, when he's in, except more people are inclined to speak to Jenny openly and the _Bass_ tard family throw cruel remarks his way but Carter only gives back the worst. This is how their mornings go so far, until Jenny suggests she shows him a little piece of the past and they disappear for the day just rummaging along the city.

It's one day he says to himself. One day where they completely without the other to save one another and the conniving Bass' know this. The word is always final when Blair announces that they need to have a girls night out because it's just been too long. Carter sees what they're doing. Seperating him and Jenny so that hopefully they can break down the walls and wreak havoc, well Carter's not worried about himself he is slightly inclined to sending Jenny questioning gazes when she nervously says sure and all but drag her out the door, The Queen B on one side and a former It Girl on the other. Chuck suggested that they play some cards tonight with the women out and about and just like that Carter is transported back to his conning days swindling a weasel and Archibald for all that they have, except this time Jenny's older brother is in the mix and no way would she let him live it down (or touch her again really) if he took everything the older Humphrey had. So instead Carter resists the urge to win but instead compromises with taking only a portion more than an average winning in this little game. After all he always comes out with the best prize.

Dan, ever the fool, tries to make small talk with Carter to alleviate the tension. It's no surprise that the former GG is the first one to break this code of silence and hate towards Carter, from what he can understand from watching Jenny is that Humphrey's don't hold grudges and if they do you have to do something really horrible in order to keep one going. Carter doesn't want Lonely Boy's approval because he doesn't need it to keep Jenny happy. Instead of opting to play this little passive – aggressive fest, Carter decides to go a much more blunt route. It starts off with Dan asking how Jenny and him met. Normally the Cotillion fiasco would be his first answer but he wants to get under the skin of everyone in this room and a passing moment of kindness hardly solidifies loathing.

"She was dancing at this club with her friends. You know, I think it's the hourglass that draws others in." Carter barters back and Dan is dumbfounded ( _'is that all that surprising?'_ ) so Carter goes on, noticing the stoic nature of Nate to his left. "After that it was come and go. She'll probably deny it but I know she was putting on a show for me." Chuck smirked along but he didn't say a word. "Later she and I went out for froyo and - oh Archibald, since you're not part of her family and the only one who _hasn't_ slept with her, _froyo_ is an _invitation_ for-"

And then the fists went flying.

 **XXX**

Trying to calm yourself when you're alone with two of the most powerful women in New York is synonymous with feeding two starving tigers with a block of cheese. Eventually, someone is going to eat you alive. It begins calmly. The ride over to the boutique is placid and no scathing words are exchanged. When they arrive, glancing up and down at the dresses around them, Jenny figures that most of these she could make with her own flare and style to be more elegant. Serena is civil enough and they all went about their merry way. It was when they were waiting for a couple of drinks (Jenny elects just for some mineral water because she's not "feeling too hot" at the moment, and they eat that right up) at the little cocktail bar when a man approaches as the wait. Normally Jenny would have nothing to say. This handsome eligible man is obviously familiar with the diplomacy of UES and, just like the old days, Jenny would sit there with a smile on her face and watch herself being overlooked in the lime light of The Serena van der Woodsen, now Humphrey and Blair Waldorf, now Bass. It was the way things are or the way things always had been. The man asks what such a beautiful lady is doing just having drinks with friends when she could be having the time of her life enjoying the company with the likes of a gentleman and Blair, the attention grabbing bitch that she is, tells him in her sweetest voice, but so loving the circumstance, that she is happily married. The man shifts his eyes to Blair for a moment but moves them back over and says he was talking to her blond friend. Blair rolls her eyes good naturedly and begins to sip her drink that had just come out while Jenny just smiles at the constant second choice of Blair but is greatful that now she can live with that in regards to Serena.

Throwing a flirty smile over her shoulder and looking at the man through batted eyelids because really, how can _she_ deny any form of attention from anyone, Serena begins to speak to him. "Actually I'm tak-"

The guy holds up his hand, cutting her off. "Not you, _her_." He says motioning to Jenny's spot in between Blair and Serena. For a moment she thinks this is some sick cruel joke years of never having a single glance from anyone when in the presence of these two and _now_ is the time to over shine them?! Jenny's screwed, even more so when the man goes on. "The Beautiful one." He throws out his most appealing smile and Jenny has to control everything she has to not burst out into ironic laughter. Wow, does life hate her or something?

"Sorry," She answers back politely but firmly. "I have a boyfriend."

The guy who's looking more and more like a Cheshire cat grins "No one has to know about you and I." And that's when it hits Jenny. This man doesn't even register Blair and Serena as an object of desire, he only sees Jenny. He just referred to them as no ones! What crazy unbalance in the world was caused when Carter and her were making this kid?!

Jenny watches Blair briefly from the corner of her eye ( _'God she is pissed!'_ ) and moves to the other side to see how Serena is taking it and Jenny very rarely saw a face of discontent on that perfect face but right now the younger girl could tell that Serena was none too happy either. Gathering all of her UES Queen Bee training (ironically that she learned from Blair) and channeling it through her new found power as the girl everyone wants and wants to be (from years of watching Serena do the same), Jenny dismissed him. "I'm sure the offer is substantially satisfying but my boyfriend Carter Baizen," She let his name slip and recognition washed over this guy instantly. "I'm not sure if you've heard of him but it's pretty serious and well he can be _quite_ possessive." She feigned innocence using her sweetheart expression and allure to get him to do what she wanted. "I'd hate to see a promising socialite and, from your appearance," She gestured to all of him before them. "an enamoring businessman to be at the end of some legal terms and agreements that would no doubt put a strain on such a bright career." Giving him a shrug and a small smile, Jenny watched him enjoy every word coming out of her mouth. "Mr. Baizen has a tendency to dredge up old pasts that wish to be forgot, to anyone he might feel threatened by." Throwing in a flirty look of her own Jenny played the game. "And _certainly_ by your obvious advances and charismatic way about you, it would be hard _not_ to see you as an adversary."

The guy took her hand and brought it to his lips as a goodbye. "You would have been worth every plight miss..."

Pleased with herself grinned openly. "Jenny Humphrey."

The man excused himself graciously. "Well, Jenny Humphrey, I won't forget this moment. You are a pleasure that I never knew I needed." And he slipped off. Jenny felt a card in the hand he had been holding previously but chose not to reveal it with two obviously annoyed _friends_ by her side.

Amusingly enough it was Blair who recovered quickly and had an impressed voice about her. " _Well done_ , Little J."

Happy to finally impress Blair with more than just her fashion prowlness Jenny joked along with her. "I'm sorry that's Queen J." And for a second Jenny thought she had overstepped her boundaries. After all, you should _never_ correct Blair. Ever. Unless you're in the rankings to do so.

But motherhood and the married life must have given her a sense of humor since Blair just let out a laugh _. "Right_ Queen J, I'm sure one Queen can acknowledge this to another. I must say I'm impressed and _glad_ to have chosen you as my successor."

Serena let out a force chuckle. "Yeah, we should...we should probably head back." And with that they gathered their things and left. Jenny was unaware that it was she who was walking in the middle slightly ahead of the group and it was she that everyone they walked past was staring at. Some times do change.

 **XXX**

The girls arrive just as Dan manages to shuffle Nate into the kitchen to calm him down while Chuck is beside them fueling his rage and Carter is off to the other side of the room grabbing some ice from the freezer. Every thing's relative. Chuck's the Devil on Nate's shoulder while Dan's the Angel and Carter is just the opposing force that Nate has to defeat, one way or the other. Thank God she's worth it, other wise Carter wouldn't have bothered.

Jenny nearly drops her things and all but runs over to Carter to attend to his cut lip and already bruising cheek. Applying the ice harder than necessary, Carter hisses from the sting and when Jenny asks what happened Carter's jaw clenches and throws a pointed look towards Nate who is also nursing his head (Carter can't remember but he think he hit it hard enough on the floor that Archibald might have _more_ brain damage) with an ice pack. Jenny's eyes widen and she moves to grab Nate by the shirt and pull him to another room. At first, Carter tries to protest but when Jenny slams the door and muffled yelling can be heard through it he's satisfied with not being met with the same reaction. Dan has the audacity to ask a miffed appearing Serena how the outing was (for someone who kept a secret for so long he's not a very bright person) and she just huffs and walks into another room giving Carter a strange look when she passes him. The Lonely Boy is alone again not having a clue as to what just happened or how to fix it and ends up skimping along after the former beauty. Carter watches them leave and then turns back around to find a Bass hurling scene of utter love in his wake as she tells Chuck how much fun she had and giggles like so when he retorts with a smarmy _'Really?'_. Feeling the eyes watching, Blair snarls that they have to get home to Henry and to tell everyone their farewell. Rolling his eyes, Carter walks into the guest room and closes the door waiting for hurricane Humphrey.

When she does storm in, Carter's smug leer can't stay off his face while he's sprawled out on the bed. The girl tells him to shut up to which Carter banters back that he didn't say a word but apparently his retaliation wasn't up to par with what his girl wants to hear, for the next thing he knows she's holding the cold searing ice to his bruised cheek with discontent and a glare. His face contorts in discomfort but he doesn't let out the whine that's aching to be let out as Jenny performs her own little act of punishment.

"Tripp tried to send me flowers." She tells him which only makes Cater glower at her. Carter knows that Jenny's hard to resist but she should really learn that some wild cards, such as Tripp van der Bilt, aren't meant to be played. "Nate saw them this morning before we woke up and disposed of them." Carter rolls his eyes at this because they are 29 and 27 year olds fighting over a 25 year old but acting like they're all still in preschool.

"He only did it because that kind of stunt would cause publicity and you know Archibald can't have a scandal like that tied to his name when he's gearing up for re-election." Carter droned but secretly he knew that this was more than just a political game for Nate. The guy finally figured out that he could have had something great and for once he doesn't end up getting it, instead it's Carter, who never got any of the things Nate could. Still, having Jenny on his arm as the Mayor doesn't hurt. She's the girl from Brooklyn and more of a people person than any other fling than Nate could find. She'd be perfect for his image. Carter was on the edge of considering that Nate's interest in Jenny might be more than finding his conscious...but no, that scheme was more Bass than Archibald despite this Carter wasn't going to put it past him that that's why Blair and Chuck haven't tried to break them up yet.

She tells him, whatever the reason, Carter shouldn't have egged Nate on like that. Carter just scoffs but enjoys the comfortable silence. Then she has to go and break it. "I don't love him anymore."

Carter doesn't say a thing. He wants to, oh he _wants_ to. He wants to call her a liar and tell her that no matter how much she may profess that she loves Carter, which he has no doubt that she does, she will _always_ love Nate. She's in love with Archibald, he wants to yell out at her and not only is the guy _a_ love but her _first_ love. Carter wants to call her out on it, tell her she's not even fooling herself because you don't _replace_ the ones you love, you find a new but they're always going to sit there stewing in your heart. He wants to shake her and tell her that she doesn't have to convince anyone, especially not him because he won't believe her, all of New York wouldn't believe her. Carter wants to expose her for the deceiver she is because that's what he was taught to do growing up, seek out what others wish to hide and make a show of it in his favor. It's what he wants to do because Carter Baizen has to find the loophole in everything that's thrown his way, has to make sure that he can get out of something if his smirks and personality can't for him. Except, this isn't that and she is _so much_ ** _more_** than this.

There is a moral compass to Carter's ways but he chooses to turn it off when he sees fit. It's why he can get away conning two kids out of their parents earnings and not blink that this may be bad (he's got too much of an adrenaline rush to care). How he can go on with making Serena feel like she's something special but also pulling her down from her high pedestal and making her feel like crap at the same time, at Cotillion. It's how he can go about sleeping with Blair even though she's using him to hurt Chuck and he's all well and fine with that because the bitch is like a used tissue, once he's done he'll throw it away and it'll mean nothing to him ever again. How he'll never feel guilt about Santorini except when she asks about it. Why he can falsify information regarding an estranged father and daughter, just so he can get a few quickies in, because he's always had a thing for long legs. Carter's a bad guy...sometimes, but he has his silver lining to him as well. He'll turn that moral compass on when he notices that his current infatuation just needs to talk about her destructive decisions and apparently he's the only one that's a really good listener. Maybe he'll use it when he's down in some third world country helping with a documentary and on the side building up a place for some less than fortunate kid to live in. Perhaps Carer will talk to that girl in the little pink dress at Cotillion, whose holding the cold glass to his battle wound and she'll just repeat over that she _really_ needs to get to her mother's thing and he'll tell her that if she does that then she'll miss all the fun and excitement. It could be that's the reason he doesn't expose the things that _Serena_ did in Santorini, and, when it boils down to it, her deeds are much more illegal, and why he chooses to take the airplane ticket so that he can be banished again from the city that was once his own but is now ruled by some overthrowing ambitious children. The compass might point to why he had helped the girl, who liked to make it be known that they weren't an item, get the attention she needed from the person who held her same DNA. And maybe it's in him to not be a jerk 24/7 when it comes to the beautiful blond he has now. Carter wants to say all these things but he doesn't.

Instead, he just lies there with the same girl except a different pink dress as she takes care of another wound, made by the same person, and waits for the confirmation that Carter Baizen does in fact understand that Jenny Humphrey is no longer in love with Nate Archibald. He can't say it though so alternately he moves his eyes to watch her, now with a soft touch to his bruise, and tells her that she's going to be a great mother.

 **XXX**

It's rare that Jenny gets alone time with her father, Rufus. What with so many lines crossed and hopes and dreams broken from one another, Jenny is taken aback when she finds that everyone, even Carter ("Erik dragged him out of here real fast." Her dad will say. "Said that it was something important to discuss."), have left Jenny and Rufus to mend torn ties and make a start over. Easier said than done. It's not like she hasn't talked to her Dad since Dan and Serena's wedding and he did cook that welcome back feast for her and Carter the night after the party, that still doesn't explain why she's so unnerved. Jenny gets the picture, nothings been the same since she left most notably her relationship with her dad. It's just Erik and Dan think that they can push and force this kind of problem away but right now Jenny doesn't think that they're quite ready for the one on one, all alone confrontation. A lot of things have been changing for the better in her life she just doesn't think that this one is one of those things that can happen in a single instance. So Jenny does the most logical thing that she can think of, she calls for help. Only neither Carter or Erik are answering their texts and calls ( _'Idiots!')_ so Jenny sends the SOS to the only friends she has in this place that have yet to stab her in the back. Jenny waits a beat in the guest room and then suddenly:

 _Ping!_

 **Help is on the way! – Briar Westchester**

 _Ping!_

 **I'll see what's going on with C sending a savior your way! - Briar Westchester**

Jenny had to mentally remind herself that Briar had known Carter long before she or anyone of her family and friends knew him and that back in their reign _C_ was not associated with a Chuck Bass but with Carter Baizen. Trying to recondition herself into that mindset sometimes gave Jenny a headache but still she was thankful and sent Briar a text saying so. It was only after the fact that she had gone into the living room, where her dad was reading the paper, that Jenny wondered when Carter was going to reappear. When the doorbell rang and Jenny went over to open it, who see expected to see and who was standing before her weren't the same person at all.

Ryan Atwood stood in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the other, skimming his gaze over the top of Jenny's head to get a good look at Rufus before admitting something to Jenny. "I don't know what I do these things for." The blond girl just sighed and widened the door for Ryan to walk in. "So Jenny, Briar said you could use some help with extending your building into another branch?" He said louder than earlier as he strolled in, stopping before Rufus who got up to greet him.

"I don't believe we've met, Rufus Humphrey." Her Dad held out his hand that Ryan took to shake.

"Ryan Atwood." Ryan said back, turning his waist around to motion to Jenny then refocusing on Rufus. "I'm a good friend of Jenny's."

Rufus gave him the once over having dealt with Erik her dad realized that Ryan didn't bat for his own team. Raising his eyebrow, Rufus went on. "A _guy_ _friend_?"

Jenny sent Ryan a pleading face to fix this hole he's dug them into, otherwise this could appear really bad real quickly. "Yeah...we met at the party earlier, uh Jenny and both know Briar and she suggested that I help with the renovations she's making to her building in London."

Recalling something Lily had spoke to him about, Rufus seemed to have an understanding. "You're the architect from California."

Ryan breathed in some relief, just not nearly as much as what Jenny was. "Yep." Wow and Jenny thought only Humphrey's could covey the face of confusion, alleviation, worry, and the regret to ever agree to such a favor. "That's me...California guy."

"Well that's great!" Her dad said putting a hand to Ryan's shoulder and steering him to the kitchen counter. "Hey do you think you could help me with something? I kind of have some plans for this new place and could really use..."

Ryan sent Jenny a distressed but also a you owe me one look as her dad motioned him to sit down. Jenny followed suit and sat right next to Ryan. At least she wasn't alone with her Dad.

 **XXX**

Carter holds nothing against Erik. In the beginning, he had his suspicions but now the guy may be the only one who isn't on the opposing side of Jenny and him from her group. Needless to say, he was still taken back when Erik ushered him out the door because as the younger man put it "They needed to have a serious talk." Never a good sign when dealing with a van der Woodsen but Carter doesn't personally know Erik. He could just be a worrying friend.

It's when they're several blocks away that it dons on Carter that everyone else had left to do their things for the day. Leaving Jenny alone...with her dad. Carter doesn't know when van der Woodsens became such crafty schemers but he hopes that Serena stays as obvious to see through with her plans forever because if she ever became as good as Erik and Lily, well a revenge plan for several instances entailing him would be waiting around every corner. Carter voices his observation involving Rufus and his girlfriend and Erik just brushes it off saying that it's time for them to clear the air and the only time they're ever going to do it is when no one else is around. Carter's got to hand it to Erik, it's a nice set up but that begs the question...what was so important that Erik needed to talk to him about. It's then that Erik tells Carter how he's figured it out. He knows about the pregnancy and if he knows then they better be more careful if they want to keep it concealed, Erik warns him that they might be the best at hiding things from others but in their little inner circle, word always gets out. Carter just can't comprehend why secrets don't stay buried anymore but Erik goes on in telling him that if Carter's not careful Chuck and Blair could finally find a way to help their wounded best friend in need; Give Nate a return into Jenny's full fledged love through means of hers and Carter's baby, Carter would never see it coming and would _**never**_ come in between Nate and Jenny again...or his unborn child.

 **XXX**

Jenny has a problem. She's willing to admit that. It's one of her biggest flaws. Falling in love with white knights that have come to rescue her from peril like in those old stories she used to hear about when she was little. The thing is, Carter was never a white knight, a rogue or a vagabond but never the hero. And true to the stories, Jenny was never the princess, a maid possibly in the background that no one ever talks about after. Jenny likes to think that's why they work so well together.

So watching Ryan interact with her father, making one another laugh as Ryan just nodded along and listened while Rufus spoke animatedly, made Jenny come to terms with her own previous knight in dashing half – grins. Nate only became the hero in her story because she had seen him as some otherworldly being. Just as everyone else that she had tried to fit in with, Nate was the unattainable and being such built up image to her. Now that she thinks upon it not all white knights do attributional deeds because they want to gain something out of it. Just like the bad guy in the story isn't always the villian... and in many ways they are far better than the hero.

In between one conversation Rufus was telling to another, Ryan fastens his gaze at Jenny and they share a common smile. This has Jenny wondering, whereever Ryan came from, how many people viewed him as their bad guy? How many knew he was the hero? Who still couldn't tell the difference. Announcing that she's going to make some lunch sandwich subs, Ryan pipes up exclaiming that he'll help, with Jenny retorting a laugh that he doesn't even know his way around this kitchen but Ryan shuffles them on through. As soon as they're out of earshot from her Dad, Ryan catches her in between the counter to ask how he became Seth in this situation by not knowing what the hell is going on but just going along for the ride anyway. Jenny has not an inkling of who this Seth person is and is about to ask if Ryan's high, when the Californian continues.

"Listen I get that you need your father distracted. I _get_ it, more than most. My Mom and I were the same way," Jenny resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She hardly believed that statement was true because where her and her Dad get into little hissy fits about every little critical thing, Ryan, she learned from Briar, had real battles like fighting his dark past, a dead girlfriend, and a deadbeat brother. In a way, Ryan's not much different from the other men in Jenny's life. Just a little more hardened by his once standing walls. "But I am _not_ rich daddy material."

Jenny groaned, this time not holding back on the eyeroll. Sighing and bringing one hand to rest on her hip Jenny watched as Rufus was speaking on the phone cheerfully to whoever had called from where they stood. Ryan slowly followed her line of sight. "He wasn't always like this..." Jenny thought back to a simpler time when she didn't have to hide her true feelings like a guarded whisper. "He liked rock and roll, played guitar, sucked at Monopoly, and poked fun at the stock brokers." Moving to face Ryan, Jenny gave him her most pleading look. Ryan sighed and Jenny knew that he was crumbling under her puppy dog eyes. "You remind him of everything that once was...familiar in our lives. You're not money hungry or a social climber, Ryan paved your own way and still managed to keep your true self. In some sort of ironic mindset, that makes you one hundred thousand times better than the people who say that could own you in a second. And _that's_ why you are so much more than rich daddy material."

Ryan was silent while searching deeply into Jenny's hopeful eyes, head cocked, arms crossed. The older male gave in with a tiny sad chuckle, rubbing his eyebrows and appearing exhausted, then let out a careful beam. "You get that you just described yourself right?"

Jenny chose to ignore such a statement and just kept on with her omniscient browse. "I don't know _why_ you do the things you do Ryan and I won't ever try to understand why but you're the only one in this whole situation that I've come to call honest. You understand that it's not the Princess who gets the happily ever after with her Prince, it's all just a fairy tale and in real life, there is no Cinderella slipper for the handmaiden, just another pile of shoes for her to dust because she doesn't deserve that happy ending."

Getting a grip and steading his hand on her cheek, Ryan steeled his eyes to bore into hers. "I hope Carter knows that you deserve it all. Everything." Ryan didn't know what the hell he was saying and just like Briar had warned him beforehand, Jenny was a rare specimen to come by. Down to earth like those who hadn't fully caught on but hadn't made way into their truest of cruel forms, Jenny reminded Briar much of hers and Carter's friend, Stella. The way Ryan had a dead Marissa and place in his heart for Taylor, Briar had a deceased Stella and whole in hers for the severed best friend. The difference? _'Jenny was always meant for greater. The reality in her is that she sees the beauty of all things, even the most scarred. It's almost impossible not to fall in love with someone so full of life, now that she's beginning to unlock her potential.'_ It was a warning and Ryan can see why. And just like Life is playing a board game Ryan finds himself falling for the unattainable girl because Life just rolled the same move that it did some years ago. Well Ryan can't have this one. He knows it. Conceives it too because she loves Carter and in no way is she allowed anymore heartbreak than what she's acquired over the years that he is convinced this Atwood would bring her. So he takes a step back, acknowledges his predicament, removes his hand from her face and pulls a Ryan by stuffing his hands in his pockets and tries to rustle someone's feathers. "And if we're going to take away from any of this, it's that you will always be a Princess." He gives his lopsided grin forcing her to not notice her power over him.

She doesn't. "Now I _know_ you're making fun of me." Jenny smirks crossing her arms and jutting her hip.

"Am I?" Ryan played dumb conveying a fondness for the appreciation of getting to have her in his life even if it was only a little while.

Jenny let out a mix between a laugh and a whine. An expression shared among friends. "Ryan."

He chuckled. "But it's so fun."

Grabbing the tray of subs Jenny felt the blond man follow her out to face her dad again. "You're too good to me." She laughed.

 **XXX**

Later that night when all is returned to it's rightful place, Carter and Jenny are put on edge...with each other. For the life of her, Jenny can't understand what it is and the smallest of comments has Carter snapping at her. They've been through worse. Carter knows he shouldn't be this vicious but if he wants to push his play on so that the others in Jenny's inner circle are none the wiser of their impending parenthood then Carter will play up the trust fund kid attitude. When things do settle down and they're in bed naked Jenny muses on how she figured it out when he snapped that not every little niche has to be pointed out. Carter enjoys that she points out his flaws, so long that it's only to him so that he doesn't appear weak to others. Carter whispers what Erik had spoke of earlier that evening before Briar came to take them back. Jenny just lets out a breath. "Guess it's time to play the game." Carter's fox like smirk has Jenny giggling. She's his partner. It's the only thing that matters...


	3. Me and Cinderella, Put It All Together

**AN:/ First off, sorry for the shorter chapter but I needed to get it out there to keep the allure. Anyway more drama is brought in and guess what the New Gossip Girl too. Is she of the old or new Upper East Siders? Who knows. Plus there's some bashing of some characters here but it needs to be done for this story to go on and don't worry I'm going to make them redeemable sooner or later. Because in the world of GG it doesn't matter what crime you've committed just as long as someone can out scandal you then you're forgiven. I think you'll quickly note that I'm finding Ryan Atwood more and more awesome (and that's saying something since he's pretty much the OG of awesome but whateves) the reason I'm mentioning this is because I'm thinking about making an AU drabble about him and Jenny but instead of Jenny taking off to Hudson (or maybe London, I still am on debate about that) she gets shipped off to the O.C. and meets Ryan...idk if I should go ahead with it though. Oh well. On with the story I guess. Please review!**

* * *

The undermining qualities that Jenny and Carter both share is that they are flawed to a point. Not completely unhinged but still immorally unbalanced. For him, it's all in the game. Playing the next move, like it's his last or first, and loving the reaction every time he plays it. Not totally out of bounds for Jenny. She will immerse herself in whoever she needs to be. Ever the chameleon, she takes what she gets and forges the new persona to play the part. Carter makes the moves and Jenny plays them. What they don't comprehend is that they are now playing one another. Lines are always blurred when a partnership has to not be a partnership and sometimes admitting things about yourself can come about. This is apparent when they tread a very thin line...

 **XXX**

Being naturally inclined to enjoying there time off from work, Carter always suggests that Jenny makes room for play. Sometimes it's fast, other times it's slow, they can go at it rough or tender, either way both recipients are within pleasure. It's an intimate moment and certainly not one that they'd share with anyone else unless invited.

So as Jenny is straddling him in her underwear and he with his chest exposed as she slowly unbuckles his belt and he peppers her neck and upper body with whispers and want, they become too caught up. No one planned on seeing Nate burst in but once he did, Carte regrets not giving the golden boy a concussion early on. Jenny jumps out of Carter's lap and Archibald stands there mouth agape and rage building. Carter gives his signature smug face and Jenny scrambles to cover herself with clothes.

Carter's content with this scene. He thinks he's done it. He's finally broke the guy because once you see things you can't unsee them.

Nate's mood simmers down into a loathing of this predicament and Carter decides to poke fun at the one guy who's never had the balls to bet it all. Asking what Archibald wants, Carter throws a leer towards Jenny's way as her back is turned and she's still picking up clothes. The other guy in the room just glares at him with the stab to his ego fully recognized. Nate explains that he was just coming in to see if Jenny wanted to come join him, Chuck, Blair, Serena, and Dan to some sort of event that's going down tonight. It's a Cotillion. All paths lead back to the start, Carter thinks. Archibald goes on to say that Blair is present at every single one to drum up business with Chuck but that they all have a suspicion that she just loves making the poor girls that are there cry. The point in the matter is that all previous attendees are to come if their schedule allows. With their former dates... Carter can feel Jenny's stiffening from across the room because they all know what they are thinking. That means that if Blair were to boss her girls into submission then Serena was to appear tonight with Carter and Jenny with Nate. A night like this could only lead straight to Hell. This is apparent when they tread a very thing line...

 **XXX**

Creating an elegant dress and donning the silk to slide about her curves, Jenny enters the place where everything became finite _not_ with the man that was tethered to her in more ways than one but with the one who had severed all previous ties. No, Jenny's boyfriend had filled the position of his dance partner with her brother's wife. Oh how ironic. Jenny notes the new kids on the block that are trying to vye for hers or Blair's attention, after all they are still the legendary queens of this city. Over there are the Carlyles triplets: Owen, Avery, and Baby at the helm. To the side, she sees Jaquline Laurent, the girl that's dying to be queen, and a smattering of Kelsey Talmadge, J.P. Cashman, and Rhys Sterling. All of who are the new Gossip Girl's current fixation. Except all eyes are on her and Nate.

Twirling around graciously, feeling the enormous weight that was so suddenly thrust upon her, as she struts around with a fantasy man that could only be what awaited in her teenage dreams, Jenny decides that it's not all what it's chalked up to be. Glancing around to see Carter obviously arguing elusively with Serena, Jenny can't help but feel a twinge of sorrow in this whole thing. They should have just stayed away. Stayed in London and solidified their lives in the place where they could find hope in their little edge of the world. This was all her fault. It was Jenny's idea to bring them about, clear the air, make amends that were theirs to make. Now she feels like she just reopened old wounds.

Nate sees her somber expression as she's not starting specifically at his chest. He knows she was only doing it because she'd rather be anywhere but here but Nate takes it all in stride. She could have just outright refused to dance with him all together and they would be sitting at the table the whole night. But Jenny is a diplomat, she gets that people need to see him and her dancing with one another and not so openly in disdain for the other's lifestyle. It build good reprore.

An intake of a gasp from the still smaller than him girl, lets Nate know that something's going on with Carter and Serena and she's about to leave to help her _boyfriend_ , when Dan and some blond girl step in taking Carter and Serena in opposite directions from the other. Dan's dancing with Serena trying to calm her down and Carter's off with the mystery girl that Nate doesn't recognize from the back but it seems like they're old friends and Jenny's back to miserably staring at his chest. Nate tries to bring out the fire in Jenny with conversation. If she's planning on going back to London after all of this, how she's fairing in work, and what her thoughts are on maybe staying in NY for a tad longer. He draws out the fire but perhaps the wrong kind because Jenny becomes offended and might bite his head off. She answers that she hopes to go where she's happy _with Carter_ and if it's back in London than so be it and if not she doubts that NY is there scene anymore. Before she can really get into it with him, someone else tries to cut in.

"Jenny." This random guy greets cautiously. Nate raises an eyebrow at the guy who has made Jenny Humphrey stop in her tracks at what she doing and then he all but glares at the this guy who can make that glowing smile of hers creep onto her face once more.

"Ryan!" She nearly jumps out of Nate's arms and into _Ryan's_ with a hug. Swiftly noting that Ryan's not all that inclined to embracing another person, Jenny ends it and looks over her shoulder to Nate. "Ryan and I are going to dance. You'll be fine by yourself, won't you?" It's more of a command than it is a question because Jenny doesn't even give him time to answer before Ryan sweeps her off to the dance floor once more. And there it is, Nate has fallen so far into Jenny's graces that she would choose to dance with a random stranger over dancing with the person that had once held her back.

Jenny smiles up at Ryan and whispers happily in his ear that he saved her from a disaster. Ryan shrugs and says that he's inclined to helping people. Gasping, Jenny begins on a ramble how she used to think that the person that would always come to her rescue _**would**_ be Nate. How he was always the guy that she could call to get her out of a tight crunch, even if she had done something absolutely horrible that should, by all means, end their friendship, but he was always there, ready to save her from herself and others. Ryan wonders aloud if Carter is meant to be that person for her now. Jenny grins warmly at Ryan and tells him that Carter will always be there for her but he knows that she's a big girl. He trusts her judgment (because it's no longer that of a whiny child anymore) and he'll support her when she needs someone to lean on but he'll never be the person that she'll call to rescue her. It's clear that she loves Carter with all her being but she'll never see him as her shining armor knight. She doesn't want one anymore, Jenny tells him but, leaning up to whisper in Ryan's ear, she says that she will gladly accept Ryan as a savior from Nate any day. Ryan is content with that and they keep on dancing. When they switch up with Carter and Briar for Jenny things fall into place.

Carter and her are a two step rhythm. He'll glide one way and she'll follow up with him. They're holding everyone's attention making it obvious that they're near inseparable. And that's when Carter whispers into Jenny's ear that she's become more than what she ever wanted. Moving her head back so that she could give her boyfriend a questioning look, Jenny can't help but wonder. Carter explains that she has all of New York falling in love with her, Nate, Tripp, even her friend Ryan. Jenny's about to protest at the last suggestion, when Carter whispers once again. "It's okay." He tells her while they still dance around the gala. "He knows that he's in love with you and he knows that you're oblivious...but he also knows that I'm not going to let you go just yet." Carter smirks at her while she rolls her eyes at that. He couldn't let go of her ever if he wanted to. "And he knows that you love me too, Sweetheart."

Jenny just humms resting her head on his broad chest in bliss. "If you say so."

They dance the night away and at the end, when everyone is trying to leave, is when Jenny realizes that she's made a big mistake in not going home, when the clock strikes twelve. She ends up at the punch bowl internally thinking whether or not she should chance it with so many adolescence around. After all, no one is refrained from wanting the punch to be spiked so who's to say that some kid hasn't done so already? Jenny has an empty glass in hand but her eyes are going back and forth from the obviously safe bid of water to the dauntingly huge gambit of the (possibly) spiked punch. It's not until Serena is already over there for her fifth glass that night that Jenny thinks sticking with water is a safe bet. The younger blond tries to ignore her already drunk bitter sister-in-law but that's harder said than done because Serena has never taken to kindly to being ignored and as such she will always _make_ herself known.

Laughing with no warmth involved, Serena takes the place next to Jenny and taunts her. "You know Jenny that is such a _lovely_ dress, did you make that _again?_ "

Jenny, who's been on her fare share of the making a fool of yourself spectrum, tries to reason with the former It Girl. "Serena-"

"You know Carter mentioned something while we were dancing that makes things _very_ interesting." The fake smile with a hold of malice is placed on the taller girl's face, who's clearly too inebriated to care if she was causing some hurt. " _Apparently,_ _ **I**_ introduced you and Carter in this very same place all those years ago!" Jenny guesses that whoever spiked the punch must have gotten some really good stuff because no way could the girl who partied 'til dawn and built up a tolerance for many different alcohols, could be this plastered without an angry reason to kick back on five. "So _you_ should be thanking _me!_ " Serena puts emphasis by pointing a finger at herself then back to Jenny. It's at that moment that Serena's eyes focus in on the glass in hand and the lack of red filled contents. "I was telling him that no matter how much he wants to get back at me by showing up with _you_ he can't because Dan and I are _very_ happy and that we've been trying to have a baby for months now." It took all of the self control Jenny had to not cringe at the irony. "It doesn't seem to be happening though does it!? And guess what Carter said? ' _You're not meant to be mother material, Serena, you're too much of a_ _ **trainwreck**_ _to even take care of yourself.'_ And you know what? That _really_ hurts Jenny. So I told him so and you know what he told me?" Jenny stayed silent while Serena's rampage went on. "He said that he could see himself having a kid with you, because you'd be a _good_ mother, and that _you_ of all people _deserved it!_ " Serena throws her head back for a bitter filled laugh. When Jenny doesn't say anything nor decide to look Serena in the eyes, that sobers the older girl up really quickly. "Oh god." Serena whispers, eyes traveling to Jenny's still flat stomach.

Finally getting the courage to look her sister-in-law in the eye, Jenny pleads with her. "Serena please I-"

Of course timing is never on Jenny's side because all of this new generation's Gossip Girl fascination decides to stride up to Jenny and Serena. "Omg! We knew it, you're Jenny Humphrey! We _luv_ your dress!" One of them says, completely ignoring Serena, and Jenny can see the spite ticking through her eyes.

Trying to stop this obvious unnecessary worship, Jenny fails to get a word in. "Girls I think I need to-"

"And you and Carter Baizen?!" Another girl gushes. "Magical!"

Serena angrily strides over to the platform, that's off to the side, while she takes ahold of the microphone to grab everyone's attention. Jenny thinks that this is the moment that Serena finally comes to terms with her reign being over. No longer are people staring at her with twinkles in their eyes but thinking 'oh someone's got the microphone, better pay attention'.

Watching as ever person stares at her for one last time, Serena masquerades as the drunken woman she was, only a few seconds ago. "Haha, hi everyone!" They all shift uncomfortably while Carter glances over to where Jenny is and she answers back with a face full of distress. "So I just wanted to thank _everyone_ for coming out tonight!" Carter hears to the side of him as Blair whispers angrily to Chuck on what Serena thinks she is doing. " _Especially_ Jenny Humphrey, who I'm sure made all of your young girls pretty dresses." Jenny gulped, trying to mask her worry while all eyes turned to her. "After all she should be at home with her _delicate state_. So congratulations Jenny! I wouldn't be able to show my face if I was _**pregnant**_ out of wedlock!" A collective gasp was heard throughout the building and anxious whispers were spoken behind hands, with all eyes on Jenny. Dan urgently tried to get Serena down from the platform but she played the drunk card well enough.

It was at that moment everyone's phones went off with pings and buzzes.

 _Ping!_

Taking hers from her clutch Jenny bit her lip as her cell blew up...with a blast.

 _ **I bet you thought that you'd seen the last of me but fear not older GG generation, you're never too far from Trouble, that's me! If you think all your problems were over with my predecessors taking your dirty laundry to dry you were wrong. I'm never to far away from the lights, camera, and action. And speaking of action... seems like Queen J has been getting some with a certain reformed prince Baizen. Everyone wants to know J, what**_ _ **have**_ _ **you been doing to keep that reputation of yours up? Is it the glow of those lights or one of a bun in the oven? I hope you have your plan B's ready and I'm not talking about the prevention kind. Looks like the only allies this J has is that of former Queens Blair and Briar but I doubt even that will last long. After all, everyone knows that Blair is fond of Serena and Briar won't stay as your backup for long J when she finds out that R might be smitten. With Serena as sour as a lemon and falling into her off-the-rails self it's easy to see why everyone's moved on to their new It Girl but N just wants a piece of J too and Lonely Boy might just end up alone with this sour note that S is taking. C is baffled by how he's the only one not messing with the likes of others and V's just missing from the action altogether. So Carter Baizen ready for your A list daddy audition? Because as far as we know, J's high on emotions and N might have a chance. No one said that parenthood would be easy. Plus, with family like these, who needs Humphrey's?**_

 _ **You know you love me,**_

 _ **XOXO,**_

 _ **Gossip Girl**_

Eyes open wide and mouth agape, Jenny did the only thing plausible from this nightmare. She gathered up her dress and ran out the party.

 **XXX**

Alls Carter wishes to do is walk out of that place angry but that doesn't happen right away because Nate chooses that moment to repeat history. Taking a punch, Carter ends up on the ground with Nate over him yelling. "Is that what this is?! Huh!? Are you just holding child support over Jenny?! Using her to get back at us?!" But unlike all those years ago, Carter manages to push Archibald away and punch right back.

He probably would have tried to beat the guy to a pulp, if Ryan and Dan didn't pull him up off of the accusitory guy. "Is that what you think this is?!" Carter yells as Nate gets up. "You think that I'm holding all this over her?!" Angrily shoving his arms out of Ryan and Dan's hold, Carter gets up in Nate's face. "She's with _me_ because she wants to be. No blackmail needed." And with that Carter walks out. He has not a clue where Jenny could have disappeared off to, since going back to the spare room at Dan's and Serena's is out of the question now. But he thinks he knows her well enough to know where she'd like to return to. Carter's about to hail a cab when low and behold his parent's private limo pull up and Eriol Baizen orders him to get in. He does as he's told but rebels in his own way, by not listening to a word that his mother is rambling on about. Instead, he's taken back to their first ever meeting. To that night all those years ago.

 _Carter's sitting on the chair while Serena grabs some blond younger girl by the arm and gives her a pleading face to watch over him. The other girl relents and moves swiftly to sit by his side and holds the glass to his face._

 _"You angered Nate." She states and Carter rolls his eyes at this fiesty little thing who thinks she knows what she's talking about. He vaguely recalls rewritting Serena's speech and handing it to this girl but right now all he cares about is staying lucid so he focuses on her tasteful cleavage and smirks at her._

 _"I'm about to anger someone else too. A little higher." He tells her and she just obliges rolling her eyes and biting her bottom lip oh so innocently. Except in Carter's mind, he's thinking of all the not so innocent things he could do to her and in turn corrupting those precious lips. Once he believes that that part of his face is surely frozen, this girl seems to think so too and pulls it away from his face, setting the iced drink down beside them._

 _Turning her head to the clock behind her, she sighs. "I'm gonna be **so** late. I need to get to my mother's art show, otherwise I'll be grounded for life."_

 _Carter's intrigued by this little blunder because if there ever was such a person to be the Devil's advocate, Carter would hold the position on high. "Or you could stay. Leave and you miss all the fun and excitement."_

 _The girl sneered. "And your idea of fun and excitement is being punched in the face at a party?"_

 _She challenged him, Carter found that interesting. " **My** idea of fun is going somewhere a little private for excitement and showing pretty blond leggy girls how to do the same," Carter outlined her face with the knuckle of his pointer finger all the way down to her long neck. Smirking handsomely at her all the same. She was beautiful, in a sweet cutesy girl kind of way._

 _Her blushing confident smile dropped at the insinuation and she stared at him strangely before getting up to go. "I think I should leave."_

 _Carter knew when to let things go, but still. "There goes Cinderella." He called after her while the girl gave one last glance with a small grin and kept walking out._

Getting back to the present, Carter saw outside where they were in New York before he told their driver to stop the limo. Moving himself out, Carter heard his parents protest but closed the door on them anyway and walked into a building. Finding his way through the place, even if he'd only been there once, he got into the loft (after finding the spare key, hidden in the place she said it would be) and walking into the Brooklyn apartment. Going over to the area that divided Jenny's living quarters from Dan's, Carter walked in to see a crying Jenny on her old bed. Taking off his suit jacket and moving over to the bed, he rested his hand on her back to make soothing circles as she layed on her stomach. Turning over, Jenny outlined his face with her dainty finger no words spoken. Once she had every feature imprinted in her mind she pulled him down to hold and kiss her as she wept. Carter thinks this is the hardest part about being in a full on relationship. Being able to handle the other person's demons when you have tons of your own.

He'll never regret knowing her though...

 **XXX**

They don't come out of that loft for three days and after the first they had turned off their phones with all their annoying rings, pings, buzzes, and blasts. Everyone wants to know where they are and the new Gossip Girl just wants to know the scoop. Never before had Jenny wanted to disappear so quickly, so eagerly but it happened and now she had to live with it. They do their normal. Eat, sleep, breathe, sex, and talk, occasionally they'll pop in some movie that she used to watch and Carter's still amazed that everything is still there like it never was to be abandoned but Jenny explains that her dad still wanted a place that they could always have with them even when they moved onto bigger and better things. He listens to her lament about how Humphrey's famous waffles can only truly be associated with this place and that can be agreed upon because even if waffles are the only thing that Jenny knowns how to make **_well,_** they seem even better here. After the third day, Jenny dreads how they have to reemerge into civilization. No matter how uncivilized it may be.

Going back to Dan and Serena's place, they find everyone gathered there, talking in hushed tones until Carter and Jenny clear their throats. Lily is the first one to move, scooping Jenny up in a motherly hug and whispering that this is all her choice and no one else's. Jenny returns the hug, glad that one past misgiving on a van der Woodsen can be forgiven and forgotten. Erik is next going up to them and shaking Carter's hand officially, then asking if he can feel. Jenny allows it, happy that Erik has been supportive of this whole thing because that's what best friends are for. Dan is hesitant because Serena is sitting on the chair with a frown but he goes up to Jenny anyway, mimicking Lily but this time it's more of a bear hug as he says over and over again ' _my baby sister_ ' to which Jenny just whines his name with a little laugh and happy tears in her eyes. Dan is cautious but he claps Carter on the back and says congratulations stiffly. Carter takes what he can get and is worried that Jenny's pregnancy hormones may now be starting to kick in. Her dad is the last one to give her a hug the others refraining from where they are and choosing to keep their distance but Blair tells little Henry to give Jenny a gift and Jenny gladly accepts the kiss the young kid puts on her cheek. Not everything is alright and not everything is fine but it never is with their group. The new Gossip Girl has upped the anti by inviting the old playmates out to the game. No one is safe from her wrath and Carter and Jenny seemed to have changed the stakes.

This is apparent when they tread a very thin line...


	4. But You Didn't Have To Cut Me Out

_**AN:/**_ **First off sorry for the wait! It was a bit of a long week first I got sick and then everyone started school so we all had to figure out this adjustment period in my household on who will drive who where and what time so ugghhh. You don't want to here about my life. Anyway this chapter is shorter as well not as short as the last but still a decent cut from the first two. I'm thinking the chapters will vary in length, depending on the events that come to play. On that note, there is some crude language that Carter utters. He's been conditioned all his life not to curse and finally it comes out because he's stuck between a rock and a hard place...the twins! Yet again, the twins in my story would be played by Steven R. Mcqueen and Analeigh Tipton. Also, I just want to get this out in the open. I do not condone incest nor do I deny it from being a form of love. The truth was that when I wrote these two characters my original intent was to have them be what Declan and Fiona Coyne, from _Degrassi_ 's (Yet again. DON'T OWN) original story line to be. A little less cunniving for my characters personality but still in the socilate thinking. Of course that route was never taken because the creators felt that the public wasn't ready for such a scandolous and edgy story arch. But here in the Gossip Girl universe I think it's perfect for it. Such a secret would be too juicy for some of our characters not to use as leverage! Just imagine what would happen if things got out. And yes, I did use a ****Grey's Anatomy quote (Disclaimer: Don't own) it just felt right. We finally get to see the extent to what Mimi and Eriol are like without the public to watch them. HaHaHa...I. Love. Mimi. She was definately the Blair of her time. So with that, I hope you like and please review!  
**

* * *

And so the quote goes:

 _ **"At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them."**_

Clearly, the person who said this didn't have the same plights as Jenny and Carter.

When Carter was five, he was taken to the circus (by a nanny of course) to see the people on the high wire. Never before had he been so amazed at something so pure and for about a year he tried everything he could to find his balance. Mimi Baizen often found such an obsession annoying and would often scold him to get off their stone fireplace or stop fidgeting on the end of the stairway. It resulted in a broken arm at his sixth birthday party. For the young Baizen, that was the first time he learned that only you can hurt yourself. You and Life.

Such an experience was more eye opening than it was painful, for Jenny. At eight years old, the sweet girl had wanted to get a haircut. She had one by the evening and it was something that she prided in when older adults would stop what they were doing just to compliment this arrangement and say that she reminded them of Cindy Lou from _How the Grinch Stole Christmas,_ which wasn't much but it did get the innocent girl to blush. The style itself was noting too special. Just a simple bob that was longer in the front and framed her face. The only downside to this new hairstyle was that Jenny couldn't beg her older brother to tie in braids through her thick hair. It was too short. This made Jenny take up doing her friends' instead. During this transitional period, Jenny Humphrey learned that when life throws something your way, you adapt.

Truer mantras have never been put more to the test than what both were experiencing in that moment. To be selfish or become selfless? The struggle was always a constant.

Then again, struggle is something that's forever thrown their way...

 **XXX**

Carter doesn't buy this for a minute. Standing in the grand staircase room of his parents abode, Carter nods to one of the butlers that was still here, even after the young Baizen's departure all those years ago. The guy must be good at his job. He's waiting for his mother to descend from the stair way, like the elegant socialite that she was,, and for his father to strut in with a cigar stationed between his finger tips and a glass of his favoring brandy in the other, all just to tell him that Jenny Humphrey isn't worth the plight of _another_ reputation and, in association, neither is the child. Carter's starting to think that he could use that cigar himself but instead opts for the not so well hidden brandy that his father _never_ locked away. Sipping from the crystal glass, Carter thinks back to when he used to bring over various women to an empty house and impressing them with his vast knowledge of alcoholic tonics. The help knew who was _really_ in charge here and would never speak a word of his indiscretions to his parents when they were away doing whatever they choose to do to spend their time.

Stirring him from his thoughts, Mimi tapped her foot irritatingly, waiting for him to put down the glass. "So early, Darling? I would think that with a baby on the way, you'd be a little inclined to resist temptation and gain some composure."

It was a taunting challenge and Carter knew it. A game of cards laced with riddles (because who else could be the best opponent other than the teacher) and dealt with a shuffling quick hand. Never had Carter had one conversation with the woman that wasn't meant to make him think...or make him feel any emotion other than hate. Rising to the occasion, the young Baizen matched her play on par. "The early drinking comes from the habits of the people I look up to. Why dream of perfection, when you can live like it? Besides temptation is what we Baizen's dabble in. Mother, I only learn from the best." Mimi narrowed her eyes under her gaze at him and pursed her lips but she didn't utter a word that would suggest disapproval of his statement. Clearly, she had been outwitted...or most likely she was playing him. Just when you think you've won the conversation with Mimi Baizen, it turns out she had been taking your words into that direction all along. Always five steps ahead and still getting her way.

Mimi scoffed. "Nonsense, Carter." There it was! "No mere child can reflect the essence of your father and I. We were Baizens before you and Baizens we'll be long after you're dead and gone." Carter snorted at that. How heartwarming it was to find that your own mother planned on being alive on this earth with more time than you. If at all possible, Mimi's eyes slit more. "Don't roll your gaze at _me_ Carter Eliot Baizen, it's unbecoming and uncharacteristically stupid."

Maybe Carter could turn this speech around. "Well, _Mother_ , what the hell should I-"

She cut him off, not even bothering to glance at him, instead choosing to examine her manicure. " _Language._ Language, you _know_ _**we**_ do not use such foul communication."

Carter clenched his jaw and responded through gritted teeth. "Yes Mother, I-"

She cut him off again with a smirk of her own. It's the one that Carter never got to have the one that says _'This is what I became a parent for. To make another human being suffer._ ' and that's why Carter can tell she's beating him around the bush. " _Why don't_ we use such communication in our massive vocabulary, Dear?"

"Because it makes the mouth look ugly and Baizen's are to be seen as gods. Gods have no imperfections." Carter humored her.

The Baizen wife laughed condescendingly to herself. "Hmm, that's _right_. I had almost forgotten."

Jenny may think that Mimi loves him but Carter knew she just liked that she had a plaything to poke when it was down. No matter. Carter could easily attack. "Hard to believe, Mother." Mimi raised an eyebrow and puckered her lips. "I mean I wouldn't forget such a rule about language when others secretly whisper words like bitch and slut constantly behind your back."

A new voice decided to join the circle. "Yes but it doesn't matter what they say to our backs, as long as they don't have the gull to answer us with dishonor to our faces," Eriol Baizen announced, kissing the temple of his wife and nodding to his son. "Correct, Mimi?"

Carter knew this was far from the end of his and his mother's banter nor would he be allowed to get away with such a cruel remark unscathed but for now it would be put to rest. Relaxing a tad, Mimi fell into place by her husband. "You're certainly right, Eriol."

His father chuckled into her hair and whispered. "Always am, always will be."

Once when Carter was in middle school, he had caught his mother with one of her boy toys (who couldn't have been more than around the age of a high schooler at the time) performing some unseemly acts in one of the guest rooms. Carter was convinced it wasn't the first time and most definitely wouldn't be the last but the young boy couldn't understand why his father always chose to ignore it. The notion that Mimi just had Eriol wrapped too tightly around her pinky had slipped into Carter's mind but soon he started to see it as the other way around. While Eriol didn't cheat, he wasn't always that attentive to Mimi and as an affect she was lashing out... but Mimi Cordeline would never _leave_ Eriol Baizen because for all accounts they were actually _in love_. They just showed it in more subtle ways. Bound for life, Mimi couldn't try and wiggle her way out even if she wanted to because Eriol was the one pulling the strings in this puppeteer relationship. Mimi was vicious and Eriol was brutal and in their past lives they were the Roman Gods Mars and Bellona. Conquering empires and enslaving those around them. Carter's expectations had forever exceeded that of an other child. He had to live up to greatness.

"Your mother and I wanted to talk about what has come about in recent events." Eriol warned finishing his glass and setting it down on the table. "You should have come to us regarding the fetus."

Carter treaded lightly. "Child." He corrected.

Eliot harrumphed. "Of course. We wish to know all the details of what you plan to do once this _child_ makes its way into this world."

Carter sighed, he'd been wondering about that too. "It's still up for discussion."

Eriol smiled one of his seven deadly smiles. "Then let's discuss it." This was going to be a struggle to handle.

Then again, struggle is something that is forever thrown their way...

 **XXX**

Being stuck in the Bass manor is far from where Jenny wanted to be right now but Carter was busy meeting with his parents and Jenny was sort of forced into sitting there looking at fashion magazines with her boss/rival. Turning the page yet again, but not at all having a sense of what the context was to be focusing on, Jenny bit her lip trying to figure out what Blair's angle was. Clearly finding out about Jenny and Carter's _predicament_ was enough to send the Queen of NY over the edge and opt to stay here with her Little J rather than be comforting to the bestie S.

"Did you pick out a name yet?" Blair sing-songed with a knowing grin.

Jenny sighed. She knew that this sudden fondness didn't come without any strings...in this case, Godmother proposals. "Blair-"

Getting excited, Blair held up her hands to showcase what her thoughts were. "So here's what I think is best. For a boy, Theodore, regal and proper and if it's a girl Anne, like one of my many idols of the Tudor dynasty!" Jenny was about to protest but Blair held up a finger to shut her up. "And don't try and wiggle your way out of this one Little J. God forbid we all _you_ to pick out the names, they'd all be gender neutral."

Jenny huffed at this statement but tried to show her appreciation. "It's just Blair, wouldn't it be more _traditional_ to allow Carter and myself to choose what to call our baby."

Blair rolled her eyes. " _Nonsense_ Jenny, for Gods sake you two don't even know what the sex is, which is the first thing Chuck and I paid the doctor to tell us on our first hospital visit." The Queen B tried to pass it off as nothing. "I'm merely doing you a favor in taking such a big decision off your hands."

Jenny was skeptical. "Thanks..." She said slowly, eying the other woman who was humming and writing some things down in her little notepad. "Blair, why _are_ you helping me?"

Choosing to ignore the question Blair responds with an open mouth, when Henry runs up to them both happily. "Mother, Dorota says there's a man at the door hopping to speak with Miss J." Blair pats her son's hair down and Dorota appears in tow with an alarming look upon her face.

"Miss Blair! It's the Van der Bilt."

Blair's eyes narrow and she turns her head to glare at Jenny. "What is _**he**_ doing here?!"

Jenny's eyes widen at this new revelation. "Um...I'm not completely sure."

Blair is forever bitter at Tripp and that's always been apparent but the fact that he knew that Jenny was at the Bass' and that he had the balls to contact Jenny, _when_ Blair was at home (has it been made clear that Blair hates Tripp yet? Well she does!), is just reckless. After what he did to her, thought not directed at the Waldorf specifically, a life was lost and Blair will never forgive anyone for that...or let them forget it. The power struggle that was going to enter this room would be far from at ease.

Then again, struggle is something that is forever thrown their way...

 **XXX**

Carter waits for no one. Not his parents, not his friends, and certainly not Serena but that _is_ what he's doing right now. She had called him out of the blue, demanding that they "get things straightened out". Something is about to go down. It's inevitable and clearly will cause more harm than good but if Serena's going to pull a game changer Carter wants to be the first to know and figure out how to prepare for it.

Carter greets her discreetly on the avenue corner but pretends he doesn't know her. They've played this sport before (some would even accuse them of being masters) and in turn she does the same. "I came here to tell you something Carter and I don't think you're going to like it too much."

"Let's cut to the chase Beautiful, because you and I both know that we have too much hostility running through our veins right now." Carter told her pointedly. The small frown that graced her lips gave Carter the small satisfaction that now she was the one who was in his place all those years ago.

Serena had had enough. It was cruel that suddenly the whole world was turning their backs on her but with Carter... _ **God,** always with Carter,_ it was pure torture. "You're not going to keep this baby, Carter."

The Baizen man laughed but there was no humor in his throat. "Sure I'm not Serena. Even if you were to persuade Jenny to take the kid away from me, which by the way is most incredibly _stupid_ and she'd _never_ fall for it, whose to say that my lawyer wouldn't be powerful enough to get me my rights?"

"Whose to say that _Jenny_ would take your kid away?" Serena threatened.

Carter's eyes narrowed. She had something, he didn't have a clue as to what but she did and it wasn't going to benefit him in the least. "What game are you playing at, Beautiful?"

Serena took a deep breath. If she was going to put this out in the open, she had to be smart about it. "Neither one of you deserves this chance at life, Carter," The man rolled his eyes at this and Serena got on the defense. "And you can argue with me all you want about how good this will be for Jenny but you have yet to make an argument for yourself and we both know that Jenny's doing _just fine on her own_. Besides," Serena gathers up her courage to gaze at him pointedly. "we both understand how destructive your genes can be, what if it sucks all the love right out of you two?" Carter tried to avoid Serena's eyes and block out what she was saying because those thoughts _had_ crossed his mind. "You may love her but mothers? No matter how much their children may ruin them, mothers hold onto their kids for as long and hard as they can. Do you really think that if it was a choice between you and that child that Jenny would choose you? Better to keep your chance open sooner rather than later..." Serena proposed.

Carter tried to shake out all his doubts and fears from his head. "You're wrong Serena. In fact, now that I'm not with you, I don't think you've ever been _right._ " Carter knew what she was doing, taking him down from the inside to build him back up paranoid, ultimately causing a rift between Jenny and himself. Well it wasn't going to work. Except once the seed is planted, it starts to bloom.

Serena frowned at this with something breaking inside her but she toughened through it. "Well I'm right about one thing, you and Jenny _are_ bad people." She told him, eyes turning to slits and anger pulling through. "I wonder how your lawyers would find you and Jenny fit parents if they knew what happened in Santorini?" That got Carter's attention.

With eyes wide and face in shock for merely a second, he pulled it together and called her out on it. "You've never been good at bluffing, Beautiful. Too much bubbly not enough sour. Not like Blair," He taunted, always wondering if the B wanted to be S thing was just one sided or...could it have been mutual? Serena seemed stunned. _Gotcha!_ Taking another jab at it, Carter went on. "Certainly not like Jenny either. She's the whole package."

Serena was getting pissed. "Was she the whole package when she stole a dress or maybe when she dealt drugs? I'm sure the lawyers will find her a _suitable_ and _fit for parenting_ mother, once that's shed to light."

Carter licked his licks ponderingly. He _would_ have to figure out something that would make that disappear. That bit of info could surely have a price far higher from a different bidder, other than Serena, he just needed to find one and at what cost. "You're not going to tell. And you want to know why? The moment you do, you'll have no one, well maybe Nate but-" That's when Serena smacked him across the face. It wasn't the first time but it definitely still stung like a bitch. How ironic.

"Don't test me Carter." Serena warned. "I may not be as devious as Blair or as cunning as Jenny but it can be done." and with her last words Serena strutted off. "Why do you think you still call me Beautiful?"

Carter watched her leave and had no regrets. Maybe one and it was ever taking a chance on the girl who could never handle criticism very well.

 **XXX**

 _ **Spotted: S paying a visit to baby-daddy to be in clandestine. What have you got to hide you two? Since S is clearly tied down to a Lonely Boy and J is on her way to keeping ties with the Baizen fortune could old flames reignite? Obviously things are heated but maybe not in the way we suppose. Though it has been fully announced it's best to take sides when going to war. The only question isn't whose side are you on. It's whose is who on?**_

 _ **You know you love me,**_

 _ **XOXO**_

 _ **Gossip Girl**_

That's what Jenny had come to find, when she felt her phone _Ping!_ Along with a picture of Serena and Carter within close vicinity of one another, talking about something passionately. It made her stomach drop. Taking a deep breath, Jenny reassured herself that if it was nothing then Carter wouldn't bring it up. He'd go on like he usually does, not a care in the world because such a matter was so insignificant that he has no reason to bother her about it. But if it was something serious... he'd warn her. Glancing down at the photo again, Jenny couldn't help but think that, even when they aren't together, Serena and Carter always had this spark with eachother. Jenny dreaded thinking if that could be seen with him and her and if not then what were they doing?!

"Jenny?" Erik spoke, knocking on the ajar door, and peeking his head in to brace himself for what he was met with.

"Erik!" Her voice cracked as she shoved her phone to the side and tried to replace her somber face with a happy one. It's the least she could do in the face of a friend caught in between the middle. Clearing her throat, she smiled a little too brightly. "Um, hey-hi, I um...wasn't expecting company." She told him, the plastered smile forced and his cautious but skeptical face not believing a bit of it.

"Okay." Erik just nodded understandingly. "Are you doing fine?" It was then that Jenny took notice of the cell in his hand that he was trying to sleuthfully put away in his pocket. Obviously he'd seen the post. Everyone must have and now things were about to get really sticky real quick.

"Yeah." Jenny's voice cracked again and she apologized by clearing her throat.

Erik just nodded slowly. "Then why don't I believe it?"

Without any effort tears came rushing down Jenny's face and she gave up. "Because I'm not." Dashing to her side, Erik tried to hold his best friend together while she broke down. It didn't work very well, even with the soothing back rubbing.

Finally when Jenny had calmed down, Erik spoke of why he'd really come. "I think we need to meet some people."

Jenny groaned not really up for it. "Could we not? I've already had my fill of _people_ for the day." Erik raised an eyebrow at this girl who loved to invite others into her life, no matter what the damage. Jenny went on to explain. "Tripp paid Blair and I a visit, with Henry playing in the next room."

Erik seemed alarmed. "What did he want?"

Jenny sighed at this. "He just wanted to know how I'm doing in my condition. Apparently word travels fast, even all the way to South Hampton." Erik nodded believing in the power of a good gossip. "Apparently, he's willing to offer me _sanction_ until Carter can find a place for us without judging eyes."

Erik didn't like where this was going. " _Just_ you?"

"Not you too!" Jenny whined, flopping back on the bed, and pulling the nearest pillow to her chest. Already, she was cringing from earlier at the riot act Blair read her about trusting Tripp van der Bilt.

"You said no, didn't you?" Erik was worried. Now that she was more into her pregnancy, Jenny's emotional state would be heavily persuaded by the mood of the baby growing inside her. Baby's can be easily bought.

Jenny was sheepish. "I didn't _not_ say no."

Erik chided her. "Jenny..."

Hiding her eyes behind her hands, Jenny agreed. "I know, I know, I have to be more careful, I just, ugghhh!" She groaned and sat herself up. "Who _should_ I be talking to?" Honest to God, she was curious.

Erik smiled warmly at his pal for life. "Some people who are very good in picking up on language. Have you ever heard of Darien and Jocelyn Hapburn?"

To this, Jenny could only raise a brow.

 **XXX**

 _Fuck,_ _Fuck,_ _ **Fuck**_ , _**FUCK**_ _it all!_ That's the only real thing that was going through Carter's head when he came upon the familiar sports car parked in a familiar Hapburn mansion. This could end one of two ways. The Jocelyn way or the Darien way and Carter _**did not**_ like those odds.

 **XXX**

"So, how do you know the Hapburns?" Jenny asked as the maid showed her and Erik the way to the elusive twins. "I mean they had already graduated when you and I entered high school, so..."

Erik laughed a little, thinking back on it. "I may have made the mistake of hitting on Darien, when we met on a cruise ship."

Jenny scrutched her face at this. "What's wrong with that? Is he homophobic or something." The blond girl never understood how Erik, out of all these years, was still single. He was perfect and now having filled out, gotten some muscle on him, and trading in some of that baby face for a more masculine look and stubble, surely he could attract the right attention. He certainly got enough of it from women but how could men seem to avoid him.

Erik sighed at that loaded question. "Definitely _something_." When Jenny didn't understand, Erik went on to explain. "Let's just say that him and his sister are very...close."

Knowing how the first time Dan started dating girls, Jenny felt a bit left out. Like he wasn't going to be there for her anymore and in a way he wasn't there all the time but Dan still made time for her. She had heard of some siblings who get there own life then start to grow apart, to the point that they have to work at being family, instead of strangers living under the same roof. "Lonely?" Jenny suggested.

"Territorial – is more like it." Erik's eyes widened and a shiver ran down his spine, just remembering the encounter. Thank goodness they were great friends now.

Jenny wasn't sure how that was possible. "I don't-"

"You'll see when you meet them." Erik gave up. For such _interesting_ siblings, it was hard to convey their type of relationship without outing them to others. You just had to see it for yourself.

"Mister and Miss Hapburn, Mister Erik van der Woodsen and Miss Jennifer Humphrey." The maid introduced and once she moved out of Jenny's line of sight, it all dawned on the young blond.

With Jocelyn Hapburn almost sitting completely on her brother, Darien Hapburn, she stroked his luscious brown locks, her own auburn hair cascading in waves over her shoulder. Wearing a form fitting nude white lace blouse, black skort with black stockings and stiletto boots to show case the tall girls thin legs, she was texting away in the other hand with a small knowing smile gracing her quirky pink lips as her brother rubbed his thumb into the small sliver of skin he revealed between her hip and waist. Darien Hapburn was donning some sort of long sleeved navy Henley shirt and a simple pair of jeans, along with sneakers for shoes. It wouldn't be put past Jenny that though the clothes he was wearing were lax, they were all of designer brand. He was merely reading a book in some foreign language, smirking whether for the fact that his sister was all but giving him an _unintentional_ ( **?** ) lap party or for the content that he was reading, Jenny couldn't tell. His features and physique are that of all of Carter's classmates. Undeniably handsome, like could-be-an-Abercrombie-model handsome, but that seemed to be only complimented more by his gorgeously sweetheart pretty sister. It was easy to tell that these twins were less like _Full House_ and more like siblings of the _Cruel Intentions_ kind!

"Hi..." Jenny greeted slowly. Erik just gave her a look that said ' _told you so_ ' but Jenny was still trying to process.

"Hello!" Jocelyn spoke jubilantly, then went back to texting. Her brother moved his hand to his sister's back and Jocelyn shifted slightly so that he could do so.

Not taking his eyes off his reading material, Darien smoothly voiced something to Jocelyn in a language Jenny had never heard of nor come across before. " _Protrey takmore vezure ren – ren traqcieck moech sumby lunaye?_ "

To which Jocelyn answered back just as easily with a secretive smile shared between the two. " _Mookbea._ " Getting up, Jocelyn smoothed out her attire, and Darien stretched his legs as they put their things down.

Erik leaned over to whisper into Jenny's ear. "They speak a total of 30 different languages, 17 different dialects, perfect in various accents, can translate almost any text, and when they're in their own world, the only thing they speak to each other is a language they made up when they were four."

Jenny just nodded in astonishment. Close wasn't even beginning to describe what Jenny was witnessing. "So you're the girl who replaced my sister..." Darien started.

"As Little J." Jocelyn finished perkily.

Jenny laughed nervously. "Yep that's me. Uhh but the new J is Jacqueline Laurent and I thought you two were twins? Wait wasn't Stella was the youngest in your group?"

A flicker of sadness passed over the twins faces but they quickly recovered. "We are. And Stella was." Darien confirmed. "but my sister always had a sort of..."

"Innocent naivety about me." Jocelyn finished off. "That's why Jack can never be _Little_ J. She wasn't built the same way you and I were."

Darien laughed. "Of course Jocelyn never graduated to J and then Queen J either." he motioned to Jenny before him.

Jocelyn decided to get right to it. "So tell us..."

"To what do we owe this visit?" Darien suggested.

Erik and Jenny just shared a glance, realizing that what they were about to ask wasn't something that was going to be half-assed. These two meant buisness.

"Well..." Jenny began.

 **XXX**

Walking in on your girlfriend, her best friend, your sorta kind of ex-girlfriend/fling, and her brother, all talking about you when you come in, isn't on Carter's top five lists. Maybe the top one hundred at number eighty-seven!

"Does Carter still do that thing in bed where he – oh hi Carter!" bubbly as ever Jocelyn waved from where they were all seated. As they all turned around the Baizen couldn't help but think that this was what purgatory would consist of. Two people who are often too much of a wild card to not have in his deck but just right to play when he needed, a listening and advice giving ear, and the person he is playing for so that they can win the prize.

"Baizen!" Darien smiled with a strangeness about him. "Didn't think you'd show up." He smirked and Carter knew that smirk well. The Hapburn twins were in their natural and familiar pose: Incestuous but they had company, so for now it was more toned down.

Carter answered carefully. "Didn't think I had to."

"Darien, be civil." Jocelyn chided, making some room for Carter on the couch so that she was lounging completely on her brother's lap.

"Come on Little J, you know C and I were always just joking." Darien smirked into Jocelyn's hair with her sticking her tongue out at him playfully. Carter remembers that tongue and he shivers to think how more experienced it was now.

Jocelyn tries to explain to a perplexed Jenny and Erik. "Carter and Darien have always been good friends, not best like with Nic but still close-"

"Except when you two started going out," Darien pointed to the two offenders. "Then it was just hostile banter."

Carter cleared his throat and in the process tried to clear away some of the memories. "Not one of finest moments."

"But surely all three of you are here for different reasons." Jocelyn gaged. Carter forgot how easily it was for her to be so empathetic. The twins always had a knack for reading people and going into the field that they did only heightened that ability. Carter remembers multiple times though Little J came breaking down at his door, how D wasn't _sharing_ with her and the only way Carter could handle _that_ catastrophe was by throwing a wad of cash at her, telling her to spend it as she liked, and either put her frustration to use and hop in Carter's bed or don't bother him for the rest of the night and crash in the guest bedroom. What can he say...Carter was in high school and not very known for being _nice_ when he wanted to be.

"We just want to know what." Darien took the time to see through them all and stare into their souls.

Carter wanted to know a little about that himself. What _was_ Jenny doing here? With his past? This couldn't lead to anything good. And speaking of which, Carter really needed to talk to her about his meeting with Serena soon.


	5. We Have Not Yet Lost All Our Graces

_**AN:/** **So I hate this chapter, because yeah it is a bit of a filler but it needs to get out and if I put any of the other stuff in there then it will seem off and not flow correctly. Hence the shortness. It's definately the shortest one yet. I want everyone to know that I will be bringing more and more aspects of the other characters from Carter's past to help with predicaments but not nessicarly to be main characters. So far the focus has mainly been on Jenny and Carter well after this chapter that ends. Everyone's new dirty laundry will be out to dry. Maybe even some old dirt too. I'm bringing in other characters too because though it was completely useless to bring in some of those characters to the later seasons of GG (example Ivy) some of them will be redeemable, for instance Scott. You know Scott? The kid that Lily and Rufus shared and was completely forgotten about the rest of the show and didn't even attend his siblings wedding (...to eachother). Yeah I'm going to get him in here somehow. Also I threw in a little hint to Chuck and Carter having some deep seated familial issues (other than the ones the already obviously have) that may explain why they can't be civil to one another. Nic makes an appearance again because I love Toby Hemingway (especially in the Covenant ((DON'T OWN but god I wish I did)) that has baby Chace Crawford and Sebastian Stan in it). Another thing I'm going to be writting another story along with this soon. They won't be related and it will most definately be a Nenny story but kind of not too. It'll be up in the Gossip Girl crossover section because it WILL be a full blown crossover with Glee (I don't care if you do or don't like it just please give it a try if you can) meaning that it will feature mostly all of the main characters from both shows, taking place in Lima, Ohio and NYC/UES, New York the main characters will be Jenny, Beth, Quinn, and Puck. I wonder if you'll see where I go with that one. However that means that like the tread of this story it will probably be slower updates. I'll be juggling two rather than one which is something I'm trying for the first time and after all this is my first FF. So there you have it. And with that, on with the show! Plz Review :)**_

* * *

Thinking back on it, they were never meant to be together. At least, not in the simplest forms. Their constant shifting of emotions and out right desperate cries to feel something, other than pain, meant that they were a chemical balance just waiting for the perfect fit for an explosive reaction. It was too good to be true and yet... _something_ made it all seem right.

Feeling the mellow intake and exhale of his girlfriend's, Carter held her tight as she masked her pain with a faux paws of slumber and serenity. For once, their fight was not of loud booms and crashing thunderous marks in pain but of quiet underlying meaning. The twins had cleared up some things and now it was all set into play but Carter knew that he couldn't let this go on. He'd have to call in reinforcements, if this was to go so smoothly. None could be so calculating than that of those who were already destroyed.

Often, Carter is the one to explain that he had only ever saw Jenny but it was she that had caught his eye that first time. Laying in their bed as he holds her tight the youthful blond thinks of the options that the twins have displayed out for them to take. Wistfully, Jenny doesn't dwell to much on what's about to happen but more of what has already gone down.

She had seen him that night of course. He was Serena's date. The handsome Carter Baizen, who by all accounts, was somewhat of a prince in his own right. Just by taking him in as he stood on the staircase, correcting the card that had been written on Serena's behalf, Jenny had no doubt that he was concentrating rather than ignoring her. She'd heard the stories. The ones where he helped rebuild a foreign country's little village all out of the goodness of his heart but Jenny was now familiar with this game. There was no such thing as a good deed, so long as there was more of a silver lining. And in the ten seconds that he'd entered her life he'd vanished. However, that very same night held more than to what was to be expected. Holding the glass to his battle wound, Jenny tried to hide her creeping blush ( _'why was he staring at her like this?'_ ) with irritation and bite. Jenny was not familiar enough with the Carter of life and instead learned very quickly that the Carter of stories were of a saintly rumor and not of sly trickster. His touch to her skin was like a trickle of the coolest raindrop but she quickly dismissed it fearing for her own head as he smirked and egged her on to stay. Though his proposal was promising, she knew she needed to leave and go support her mother's gala. Still, the opportunity would have been made into wonders.

Now as Jenny lays in a bed that he'd once lain in with a handful of other women, the poor girl glances around his adolescent room and wonders how long _would_ he keep her?

For everything is only a matter of time.

 **XXX**

Walking out in the frost bit air, with their hands in their pockets and their jackets strung close, Carter was wondering how long until curiosity got the better of his oldest and dearest friend.

"So..." Obviously it wouldn't take too long. "Are you going to _name_ it after me?" Nic smirked in a way that Carter could never truly get pat down. Nic's was too crooked and his eyes held to much play and not enough game. While Carter always thought of himself as the outwitting prodigy contestant, Nic was the omniscient ringmaster.

Carter scoffed, rolling his eyes at the very idea. "I'm _sure_ Nicodemus would be _perfect_ for a girl."

"Hmmm..." Nic chuckled, readily pleased with himself. "So it _is_ a girl."

Carter was silent for a beat. "I didn't say that."

Nic nodded justifiably. "You didn't say it _wasn't._ It's a _boy_ then."

"I didn't say that either." Carter shrugged but Nic didn't bother to wipe his smarmy smirk off of his face. And just like their constant way of speaking to each other as fifth-teen year olds, Carter becomes agitated with his friend's lawyer ways. "It is what it is." Carter huffed.

Nic laughed at this, to spite his old classmate. "It's _never_ 'what it is', with our kind."

Carter didn't know how to fight with the only other person in the world who could win at every argument, other than Jenny. "Yeah, well..."

Taking this as incentive to go on, Nic did just so. "We've dealt with women all our lives and still the mystery of them is... fascinating. They're more expensive. With their heels and skirt sizes, feminine products, and the amount of hair care you'll go through each month, you'll have to make more room for your fortune."

Carter grimaced at this list. "Anymore cons?"

"I'm just getting started." Nic's feral smile made Carter believe that there were people out there deadlier than any Sparks, Waldorf, and Bass combined but not nearly as cruel as a Cordeline. "She'll have more mood swings from the gaining of your bad blood and that little pixie that's birthing her. You'll have to lock her up, you know? Those heartbreaking ways that her mother seems to not have mastered yet will surely be passed on." When Carter said nothing Nic was satisfied. "You want pigtails, makeup, the grounding of your soul, and finding of a conscious? Hope for a girl."

Carter harrumphed at this. "Boys aren't any better. _We_ were never any better."

Nic agreed. "Boys mean broken bones, from fists fights, pent up emotions, and sacrifice verses sheltering. Then there's the risk of impregnation scandals, not to mention the resentment of never living up the the standards of parents with power. If bruises of both the outside or in are for you, then a boy it is."

"I don't care what I want-" Carter was trying to say but Nic cut him off.

"It's not your choice in the matter now, is it?"

Carter kicked a leaf, glaring at the pavement. "Guess not." And for all the fist fights, all the high end prostitutes, and all the joints that he and Nic shared together, Carter could still not bring himself to allow his friend into his and _Jenny's_ life. While Carter and Jenny were of the same card, Nic was of a different deck. His destructive spiraling ways only grew deeper with the passing of Stella, to the point where other's happiness was more of a challenge than something to empathize with. How far could he go before he breaks what he sets in motion. Carter could tell you, from his years of observing his friend.

For everything was just a matter of time.

 **XXX**

Jenny didn't want to be here. It was like she was intruding on something that she shouldn't but right now, the only thing anyone had to offer to this whole situation was the only other friend other than Erik who was clear of mind.

"...and that's where we are." Jenny ended as Ryan just stared at her with a confused face.

"You want to stay... _here_?" The blond man reiterated slowly.

Jenny nodded. "Yes."

"In the US?" Ryan was just making sure that he was following correctly.

"Of course." Jenny confirmed.

Ryan still wasn't getting it. "And live in the one city full of the people who have made your life a living hell and have stabbed you in the back on more than one occasion?"

Cringing at the way he said it, but it _was_ essentially true, Jenny tried to smile through it. "Et tu, Brute?"

Ryan engulfed a tired sigh and got up from the couch that they were sitting on in Jenny's childhood loft. Rufus was allowing Jenny and Carter to stay in it...for now. Though it had been put on the market for some time the fact that it held a reputation of a van der Woodsen's ex husband made the property value jump greatly. This was problematic seeing as though it's location wasn't of high standards. Essentially only Rufus could buy it back for storage. Or to keep a secret.

Rubbing the back of his neck and staring down at Jenny's wide eyes, Ryan felt himself giving in. "I'm not saying that you're making the right choice," Ryan tried to save himself from what he was about to do but Jenny's face broke into an excited grin and the poor guy couldn't help himself. That smile should be a crime. Giving up, Ryan sighed again. "And honestly who am I to talk-" Squealing, Jenny jumped up from her place on the couch, and clutched onto Ryan with happiness. "Umph." Caught off guard, Ryan attempted to savor the contact with the girl for as much as he could.

Pecking him on the cheek with giddy, Jenny suddenly remembered what Carter had mentioned and put an end to her playfulness, before giving Ryan the wrong idea. "Sorry!" She squeaked apologetically but still was filled with exuberance. Smoothing out her dress, sitting herself down, crossing her legs, and placing her hands on her knees with a well listening posture, Jenny beamed at Ryan and yet again apologized, this time more calmly. "Sorry."

Taking in this person who was so much... _more_ , Ryan stared just a beat longer with his mouth agape, then shut it and tried again. "Jenny, I'm flattered really that you feel safe crashing with me but what about Carter?"

"Carter's parents proposed that we stay with them and even if _I_ think their intentions are good, Carter doesn't. He's set on thinking that they have this vendetta with the baby and with one of us having to go back to work soon, Carter doesn't want them to be whispering the next best opportunity in my ear." Jenny explained. "He'll stay with his parents so that he can keep a close eye on them and I can stay with you?"

Rubbing his face, Ryan weighed the outcome. This was either going to be really good or exceptionally horrible and Ryan wasn't sure how he'd play into this. "What about Erik?" Ryan suddenly thought of the other friend that Jenny had mentioned that the optimist girl had complete trust in. Plus the guy was gay, as in he didn't have a thing for blond Venus like goddesses. Unlike Ryan. Yeah, exceptionally horrible and really good were truthfully a blurred line for Ryan at this point.

Jenny shook her head. "Erik has to go back to Barcelona for his excavation at the end of the month. Right now, he's just staying with Lily." Ryan still didn't look convinced. "Please Ryan," She pouted with sincerety. "I literally have no where else to go. Dad and I are still working out our differences, Dan is married to Serena, Lily is Serena's mother before mine, my own is in Hudson probably wanting nothing to do with me...again, Blair and Chuck are a packaged item and they'll _always_ side with Serena, Briar-" Ryan cringed slightly at the mention of his now _ex_ -girlfriend who had decided so suddenly to jet off to Tahiti. "is off finding herself, and that would only leave one other person."

Ryan hated the options she just ruled out for him and the guess he was about to submit. "Nate Archibald?" Jenny just nodded painfully slow with a sad face. Sitting down beside her once more, Ryan got close so that he could get a feel for what was really happening in that wanderlust head of her's. "I don't know what's going on with you," Ryan explained carefully, even though she just told him her _**whole**_ predicament. She'd lost him at about the fifteen minute mark and the whole time he had been internally debating if Seth ever just zoned out on Summer just so that he could stare at her. "but I hope you're doing things for yourself too, Jenny."

Jenny started to defend her point. "I am-"

Ryan cut her off shaking his head. "No, I mean...you need to be thinking about what's best for you. Not including Carter. Don't get me wrong, Carter's a _big_ part in this but he's always got a fall back. From what I've learned from you, it's not going to be so easy if things go south."

Offering a heartfelt smile, Jenny was glad that Ryan was so caring in this time. "I am, Ryan Atwood. You can be sure of that."

"Good." Ryan agreed. "Because for the next few months I want you to stay that way when you move in with me, until this kid arrives."

The blond girl squealed again, jubilant in how things were working out. "Thank you, thankyou _thank_ _ **you!**_ " She said as she threw her arms around the architect and squeezed him with every last breath. Laughing a little, Ryan got up and headed to the door with Jenny following suit. Stopping short, Ryan confirmed that Jenny would be by with some of her stuff by the end of this week. Smiling and laughing Jenny opened the door to let Ryan out but was met with another attractive man in her door way.

"Jenny..." Nate Archibald greeted as the girl in question's eyes grew to saucers.

"Nate?! What are you doing here?" Though not exactly happy about how things went the last time her and Nate parted ways she'd known that she had done some things far worse and that even after all of it, Nate somehow found it in himself to forgive her unconditionally. The girl would attempt to do the same.

"I came to talk. I went by Serena's and Dan's but they said that neither you or Carter had been there since the dance." Nate explained, noticing the looming figure that was standing behind Jenny and the door she was holding onto but not moving for Nate to get a good line of sight on who they were.

"Yeah well that's a pretty accurate observation, considering what's been going on with me right now."

Nate sighed hoping that he could get through to his go-to-friend. "Jenny-"

"Hey, I think I'm gonna head out." Ryan interrupted by telling the girl. For a second, Jenny's eyes held a sadness that said that she was woeful to see him leave. Nate looked at the forlorn face that Ryan held himself and then it clicked. ' _Oh, come on!'_ Nate would never get a break when it came to her. The socialite suspected he had so many chances in the past that he didn't take and now that Nate wanted them he couldn't have them.

"Really?" Jenny didn't want to see Ryan leave so quickly. She actually enjoyed being in his company. The Californian was so easygoing and full of surprises that Jenny thought he was one of the best friends she could ask for in her time of need.

Ryan glanced down at the ground sheepishly, trying to avoid Nate's accusatory, anger, and hurt filled gaze. "Yeah, got to make room for a lot of things." The Atwood told her, making the excuse that he wasn't as well off as to what most people are used to but that his apartment was big enough if he boxed up a few things. He also told her that he needed to check in on his ward in California and see how he's doing. Honestly, Ryan just knew that Nate and Jenny had a lot to discuss and right now with Ryan being there – it just wouldn't be a good idea. "See you around Jenny."

Hurriedly, Jenny gave him a hug and bid him farewell with Nate glaring after Ryan as he walked out the door. Turning back around, the other guy saw an irritated Humphrey with her hands fastened on her hips. "Let's talk." And so she invited Nate in. This wasn't going to go well.

For everything was just a matter of time...

 **XXX**

Getting off the train, a young blond hopes to be unseen in the city that plagues her past but when you've become part of a place that holds you down until you break...well she'd know exactly what to expect. Not to say that some good things didn't come out of this brief love affair with the city that never sleeps. No, the mounting fame that now is congruent with her name is all thanks to the scandalous nature of the people who forge their lives through rumors. Her last name may have something to do with it as well. On the contrary, she is not here to hold ill resentment towards the ones she once called family but was called out with an incentive to get some sweet sweet revenge. It was well overdue. The girl had seen the latest blast from the past blowing up her cell phone and she wanted in on the action. Perhaps this Jenny Humphrey is the reason that they treated her with such disdain. A shell of a reminder of someone who was far better and no longer of use. Well no more. It was time for little friendly competition. Lola Rhodes was making her way back.

 **XXX**

Finding himself in the bar that was out of the way, Carter really shouldn't have been so surprised to find Chuck Bass sauntering up to him with a not so welcoming smirk. "And here I thought I hold told the bartender to not attend to trash."

Carter just kept looking down glumly at his drink. "When holding the right amount of figures one man's trash can be another's treasure. You should hire better help." Carter suggested but didn't tell this to Chuck head on. He was too exhausted for this.

Taking notice of the particularly strong beverage (yes, Chuck Bass was that good to know what kind of alcohol it was just by seeing it from the glass), Chuck sat down next to the other man with cruel intentions. "So early? And here I thought parenthood mellowed one out." Chuck said oh so smugly and Carter felt on returning the favor.

"Funny, my mother had told me something along the same lines the other day." Carter glared not liking where this was going.

"Hmm." Chuck hummed remembering something from his days as an adolescent. "Mimi Baizen, always one of my father's favorites."

"Is that why you detest me?" Carter baited, fully well aware that their was no reason to Chuck's loathing, it was fated for them to be enemies. "Knowing that we came so close to being family, what with our paths aligned well before our time?"

Chuck let out a small laugh that held no humor. "Nonsense. I simply don't like you."

Taking a swig of the drink, Carter decided to get straight to the point. "Why are you bothering with me Bass?"

"While I have no intent of associating myself with the likes of your kind," Chuck began watching as Carter sent another narrowed eyed frown his way. "Blair seems to think that Jenny is genuinely in love with you."

For some reason this had Carter snarking. "Always agree with _everything_ Waldorf says?"

"Of course." Chuck answered back breezily.

Turning his seat around so that they could face one another: Baizen vs. Bass, Carter took in the former life ruiner and mulled over at what he was getting at. "So why do you care so much about Jenny Humphrey's well being?"

Chuck stared him down with his condesending face of his but eventually answered. "Let's just say that fatherhood has made me see things in some light. Would I make the same mistakes again? _Absolutely_. Only if the outcome always leads to a life with Blair." Carter nodded, understanding in a sense that particular feeling. He'd been having many of those thoughts lately with the looming destiny of a child on board. "It has come to my attention – and by mine, I do mean my wife's, that we may not have been the most _caring_ of friends in the past." Chuck explained.

Carter snorted. "If by 'caring' you mean 'filled with animosity' then I say you two have that role down pat."

"My point _is_ Baizen, you and I may have unsettled differences between one another." Understatement of the year.

"Could it be that I humiliated you and Archibald, on more than one occasion, in front of some very important people?" Carter taunted, and really what was better than getting a ruse out of the ever calm in the face of danger Chuck Bass. "Or maybe it's the fact that I slept with your wife before you two were done playing your little games and to this day that annoys the hell out of you."

Though Carter could not tell if that comment sounded comical or irksome in Chuck's mind, he could tell that it got under the younger man's skin. "I'll _let_ that one go but only on the grounds that I was the first to have a taste and finalize the unraveling of a certain Little J." Chuck eluded and with that was right back in the game. Carter clenched his jaw, remembering that tiny little detail Jenny mentioned once when they were in London. How she had lost her virginity to Chuck Bass. That debacle started one of their famous fights and soon exonerated into intense and worthy proving sex.

Carter shook his head at the irony. "How _did_ we get here?"

For once, Chuck agreed. "How did we indeed."

"So, what do you have to offer that we get me to get what I want?" Carter proposed.

Chuck's sly look crossed his face once more. "Glad you asked."

More than likely this was a mistake waiting to happen.

 **XXX**

Strolling down the somewhat quiet (as quiet as the streets of NY could get) paved way of the UES with Nate, Jenny was astonished by how good of a time they were having. Sure it was _way_ too chilly to be having soft served ice cream but Nate was the one offering to buy and with Jenny being distracted with all of the updates he had been giving her since she left, the blond girl actually found herself enjoying this moment together.

"...so she hurled the hairdryer at Chuck, which by the way was $4,200!" Nate exclaimed laughing at the whole predicament of the past.

Jenny just threw her head back and laughed right along beside him. "Of course! For Blair, nothing less!"

Nate was still laughing but shook his himself from how simple they were again. "Yeah but for a hairdryer?"

Smiling with her tongue sticking out to lick the ice cream, Jenny just giggled. "Still lost in what women need." She tsked, loving the taste of the chocolate and french vanilla mix.

"Believe me, after you I will _never_ get my senses back on women again." Nate proclaimed playfully and as such Jenny took it like that. Right now they were doing just fine and that's how Jenny wanted the mood to be between the two of them when she didn't have anyone else to talk to.

Staring at her a beat too long with admiration in his eyes Jenny realized that she couldn't have that and decided to bring the conversation lightly back to what they had been talking about. "But wait, if she threw it at Chuck how did you end up the one with the tiny scar above your eyebrow?" Jenny giggled while Nate cautiously touched his fading scar above the right eye.

"Chuck ducked." He told her blatantly and the mental image made Jenny break out into a fit of laughter. Just imagining a raging Blair throwing a $4,200 heavy hairdryer at her ever calm husband, who must have had his eyes as wide as saucers when he saw Blair furious in the first place. Only to have her miss and hit their best friend square in the head, surely knocking him out, it was all too much! Watching this and loving that they can do this again, Nate tried to convey that as much as possible. "I miss this."

Jenny quieted down and just went on licking her ice cream, not exactly sure how to respond to that just yet. It was kind of like karma was telling her this is what it's like. With Carter you get froyo and feel things that you've never felt that make you insane and crazy and scared and excited. Nate on the other hand gives you ice cream and reminds you of blushes and butterflies, giggles and stomach flips. It can't go on. More than anything Jenny wanted to cry in that moment. To list all the reasons he's doing this and how it's for him and not her. How Nate wormed his way into her heart and then had the audacity to shatter it into trillions of little pieces and let it blow in the wind. The fact that he told her that she was too young for him but later began to date a girl younger than both of them (she'd seen the posts, she'd always look out for him). When he decided that Vanessa could steal the letter that he poured his true feelings into but she couldn't have a shot at happiness with him if she did an act just as cruel. The way that time and time again, they would get so close and he'd tell all his secrets to her, even ones he couldn't trust with Chuck or Serena and yet they weren't an item. How Nate refused to acknowledge that they were an couple at all even though everyone else in the tri-state area seems to think that their fleeting affair wasn't so one sided. But most of all she wanted to scream at him that she, Jenny Humphrey, had got it right, while others still had it wrong. It's in the matter that everyone gives Nate the benefit of the doubt when he screws up and no one bats an eyelid to all the wrongs he's caused no matter how skewered they were. Yet, people still find an excuse to write Carter off the first chance they get when his deeds aren't in need for warrant. One was written as a knight in shining armor prince the other the forgotten cast aside ex-prince. It was obvious who the villain was.

As if on que:

 ** _Spotted: N and J cozying it up soft serve style and let me tell you UES soft and cozy is definitely what the two convey! With a certain Baizen putting in the effort to at least stay away from scheming exes J's are just flocking to her doorstep. My sources tell me that R and her were enjoying a little alone time themselves and if we know one thing it's Barbie is always looking for her next Ken and the critiria is as follows: tall, blond, handsome, and an earthmover at heart. Seems like all of these men meet the guidelines J... So who's it gonna be? A chance at the Baizen fortune, a seat in the mayor's inner circle, or a journey into a Californian fantasy land? Who knows you might even be Tripp-ing over your own options Little J. And you thought Bradjolina was the couple of the century? I have it on good authority love's in for a bit of trouble, the kind that only shows up in paradise. Anyone else ready for that earthmoving yet? I am._**

 _ **You know you love me,**_

 _ **XOXO,**_

 _ **Gossip Girl**_

Nate moved his eyes away from his phone with a smile on his face but it soon faded when a frown formed on Jenny's. In the captioned pic on their phones held Nate and Jenny walking down the street that very moment, appearing enamorous with the cap reading **_'Nenny back again?'_** Carter was **_not_** going to let this blow over smoothly.


End file.
